Okaerinasai
by La Dormeuse
Summary: Van's planned the perfect future, with his perfect woman. But does Hitomi think likewise? Or does she really want to be a shepherdess and live with ten goats, the odd dragon and two drunken men? Let's hope he can find a way to persuade her. R R please x
1. Welcome Home

A/N: We all want to do a fic that explores the **what if** side of things in terms of continuation, which is what fanfiction is all about I guess, so here's mine. Let us pray to Escaflowne that it continues and is well received. Also it won't be the picture perfect story at first that everyone hopes for, as that wouldn't give me much of a plot to work with.

* * *

Van stood in his private study again after a long day of reading important documents and having a few discussions with chief council members, ones that didn't antagonise him too much and left him well alone on the subject of marriage.

Although, he had let them in on his plans recently and to his well-hidden surprise they had thoroughly approved of his idea; not that he needed their approval, it just made things easier that they weren't throwing princesses and noble ladies at him any more. He had pondered for quite some time that they would disagree with his ideas or even the principles behind it, but they seemed happy for him. Only now, they were pushing for him to put his plan into action as if they had been the ones to suggest it and he was feeling slightly reluctant to carry it out.

He had heard one of the council members leaving the Council chamber a few days ago muttering to a rather deaf counterpart,

"Well he'd better get a move on soon, he's 20 and will soon be 21!" He smiled to himself and then sighed, his bangs waving as if in a breeze across his forehead. He had been so sure and so certain of himself in preparing everything, but the next steps would need a great deal more courage than he thought and he would need to explain to his friends the true meaning of his quest a few years previous.

His friends would soon be arriving after his birthday and he would explain everything then; a late birthday present to himself he thought. Even Merle had been kept in the dark after her self-appointment of his chief worrier because of his favourite pastime. Ever since the winter previous, Van had taken to sitting on a window seat in one of the many sitting rooms the rebuilt section of the palace had to offer.

He had his own, far more luxurious than the rest but this particular one, one that was in a guest wing along one of the many maze-like corridors, had taken his fancy and he would sit there for hours studying the view of the mountains to the west of Fanelia, often until sunset and later if he had the time. There had been many nights where he had come and take in the view, in the hope of seeing the lights in faraway towns and villages that were the furthest part of his kingdom he could see; even though the borders into Ezgardia were further off than the geographical marker.

Unfortunately one winter evening he had stupidly and admittedly, of his own fault left a top window open, allowing icy drafts into the room giving him a chill for a whole week. And being the first time taken ill since the Destiny War, his subjects plunged into a pseudo-mourning for him praying for his swift return to health. Another result of this had been Merle, who had spent some time in Asturia studying healing under Millerna's care, had found certain herbs to alleviate his symptoms and then almost ripped his head off, yelling at him about his window habit.

She had watched him for a few months as winter turned to spring and seemed to take on the mentality of a nursemaid every time he approached or leaned against a window and chased him away as if he was a child doing something naughty. Nonetheless in the past month or so he had gone back to his former habit and Merle gave up her watchwoman duty.

He smiled to himself watching the view out of his study window, one that looked down onto the city that had been rebuilt after the war and was now a thriving economic and agricultural centre. His personal ties to Asturian and Freid nobility had helped his people to establish ties with merchants of the other two countries, who put a great deal of money into the economy and added to Fanelia's prowess. No longer the little backwater of Asturia it had once been seen as, Fanelia was now included in important Gaean politics and he himself an important figure, hailed as a war hero.

His name often in connection with a Seeress he had travelled with during the war, were lauded a great deal, earning respect from many nations whom previously had acknowledged Fanelia's presence but had not paid a great deal of interest before the Destiny War.

The view from this window had to be his second favourite after the Mountain View, he could see the hustle and bustle of city life in the capital and how much progress had been made since Fanelia had been burnt to the ground and then rebuilt. He was fiercely proud of his home and his nation that he ruled, but a small part of him wanted to hear whether another was proud of him. His blood relations were all dead, and Merle who would regularly sing his praises as a child, had matured and gladly nagged him as a sister would when he skipped duties or didn't sleep for long enough.

She was proud of him he knew, and the people he now counted his friends after their shared exploits five years previous. However there was one person whose opinion he wanted, especially since certain things had been put in place for her. He hoped the day would soon arrive when he would discover her opinion and whether she was proud of him too.

After a great deal of 'advice' from Allen concerning the female gender, he was curious to find out the knight's opinion of what Van had planned. Allen had become a good friend over the past five years but there was never any pretence that the friendship was not primarily based on a competition for affection over a tawny haired seeress they had both known and begrudgingly to him had both fallen for. Even though Allen showed no signs of disliking him or being jealous that Hitomi had indirectly chosen him, there was still an air of competition between the two when they met and practiced sword fighting or anything that would involve pitting one against the other.

It was if even though Hitomi wasn't there to say whom she preferred and Escaflowne forbid that she would look at another man or move on with her life, whoever won these childish games and competitions between the two would naturally be the one she would choose to love. All this was seemingly implicit in their minds, although they would immaturely refuse to admit what was going on.

Allen had taken other lovers after Hitomi had left, though a stubborn park of Van's mind wouldn't classify Hitomi as being a past lover of the Knight Caeli's, specifically as she and he had only been 15 at the time and Hitomi had rejected Allen's proposal. None of them had ever seemed all that serious in Van's eyes when they all met together and Allen would introduce the latest female to him.

However in the past few months Allen had been rather airy in his correspondence and had not mentioned any females specifically or in casual passing. Van thought that it could be very possible that Allen had found someone as he had happily engaged with other females since Hitomi's departure. Van knew that Allen wasn't seriously considering Hitomi in the same way he did, it was more of a rivalry that had sparked between them because of her and their strange bond caused by her.

But here again, Van was once more at a window and Merle had inadvertently caught him staring out aimlessly.

"Ah ha!" she cried aloud in an accusatory manner, her ears twitching suspiciously as if she had caught him torturing someone or admiring a woman who wasn't Hitomi.

Merle had taken the view that the only woman good enough for her brother was Hitomi and no one else would be accepted by her, not that Van was regularly associating with noble women of his own free will. That said, one of Merle's main reasons for constantly pestering him to go to Hitomi and get her to return was based on the worry that as a young, bachelor King his council would arrange a marriage for him to a spoilt idiot.

His somewhat adopted sister would much prefer Hitomi to have such a role, even though they had been rather catty towards each other before. It was strange, and slightly amusing but Merle saw her as a female best friend, as they had definitely shared some moments in their united worry and fear for Van's welfare during the war; and she wanted her back. She too had missed Hitomi.

Van calmly turned round slightly to face her, his right shoulder resting against the window frame,

"Merle," he acknowledged before turning round to look at the view again, hearing his adoptive sister sigh gently, "Am I doing something wrong?" he murmured, still facing the window, but watching her reflection as she opened a drawer and pulled something out before reaching his side.

"There, put that on you, you'll catch cold otherwise." She chided, holding out a worn blanket that he had used in previous winters as his desk was the furthest object from the fireplace in the room. He rolled his eyes and took it from her, placing an arm across her shoulders and draping it across her more than himself. She huffed at his gesture, but leaned against him slightly.

"You've found another window to mope by then?" she queried and watched his eyebrow rise up his forehead and into his bangs.

Merle sighed and turned her gaze to the dazzling view, "You miss her. Go to her. End of." She stated decisively, having said the phrase so often it now seemed monotonous to her. "Your majesty," she added sarcastically for good measure to show how annoyed she was with him for moping. "The others will be arriving soon and will want to know whether you'll ever go to her." Her surrogate, although it seemed biological now, brother didn't appear to acknowledge her comment so she warmed to her favourite topic, Hitomi-nagging.

The feline had been the first person to truly see Van's real feelings appear.

Even before Hitomi had left the first time, she had seen the looks Van had given her and the atmosphere he seemed to create when she would flirt with Allen, blind to any of his true emotions. She was the first person who had told him how he felt. She had encouraged them, and in the end he let her leave. Merle had grown up in the past five years, her childhood attachment to Van had been in the form of a crush, but she watched him fall in love with someone and she realised the truth. She had worshipped him because his father had saved her life, so she attached herself to the person closest in age to her.

But she wanted to form a brother-sister bond, which they now had. And as Van's widely acknowledged sister, she took it upon herself to nag him – though she viewed it as encouragement – about the woman he loved. Merle had seen many ladies of nobility and a princess or two be lauded in front of Van, to whom he paid no attention or showed no interest in.

Whereas they were skilled in light banter and taught to be sweet, slightly knowledgeable and above all regal, Van had been lured by a girl who was straight speaking, was a commoner in her own world and held no high bearings for herself. He had formed friendships with a few who recognized he held no affection for them, nor would he grow to love them and whom had been forced to present themselves to him; one lady whose wedding they had recently attended.

Van seemed to hold a torch for only one woman and Merle knew as King, a wife and heirs were important.

Thus in Merle's slightly acerbic logic, he should seek her out and ask her to marry him. However, Van was still rather closed off as a person. Even after Hitomi had opened him up to her and Merle in due course, as well as him having friends and political allies; Van was still rather solitary compared to other young men. Merle herself had had a few dalliances with noblemen and commoners in the city whom she knew rather well, but had only enjoyed a fleeting lust or affection for, nothing that seemed to compare for the love her brother held for a certain seeress.

Merle watched from the corner of her eye her brother's constant gaze and was unsurprised to find him staring out the window when she had first entered the room. Nonetheless, she was still curious as to why he had picked another particular window to sit by and gaze out of, the mountains were the only view out of it. However upon reflection Merle had looked out of the window too, one night she had found Van there in the guest suite once again and had noticed something.

Whether Van had chosen it by chance or had searched every other window in the castle for it, the window he favoured had a rather uncluttered landscape and aside from the mountains in the distance had a perfect view of the two moons that hung in the sky. She had smiled to herself upon noticing this one night as she sat in an armchair near the window. And even though she had to stretch her neck to look up at the glowing orb in the sky, she had also noticed that Van never seemed to look up that far, she assumed that he knew which part of the Mystic Moon Hitomi came from was the southern tip.

She imagined that it would be a rather warm place to be, rather like Fanelia's slightly tropical climate.

* * *

It had been another particularly stressful day in Van's opinion and certainly not the way he had wished to spend his birthday of all days. Even though he was King of Fanelia and bred to be a member of the aristocracy, he still had the underlying tendency to want to sleep in for most of the day, especially now when he knew what he was missing. But the day was now over, and despite the rest of the nation celebrating their Monarch's twenty-first birthday, he wanted to do nothing more than sleep.

And as he reached the corner turning into the corridor which lay his own bed chambers he tensed waiting for something to happen or someone to call him and disturb him leading to him being kept awake for even longer than necessary. If he was asked for a birthday present then his answer would be a day of uninterrupted sleep as well as the woman he loved being by his side. But he was working on that.

As usual his heightened senses were dead on. His adoptive sister's voice came echoing from behind him a few corridors away, screeching at the top of her voice excitedly, "Van! Van! Come quick!"

He turned, wondering what had put Merle into such a boisterous state when she of all people had heard him mutter away at breakfast that morning about how all he wanted to do that day was to go back to sleep and not be disturbed. He waited patiently for her approaching footsteps, praying that Allen and his crew hadn't arrived early on purpose as he was certainly not in the mood for entertaining guests, being regal in any way – not that they cared – or being hospitable whatsoever. His mind was focused on one thing, and that was sleep; and possibly the nice dreams that followed with a certain seeress he held dear to him.

His ears rang with the sound of Merle panting as she turned the corner and seemed to speed up, not bothering to stop in front of him as she reached out for his arm, grabbed it, turned back round and appeared to set off back from where she came. But Van was too tired for whatever she was up to and in a gruff mood he held steadfast, causing Merle to almost trip over her own tail, turning round to glare at him. He raised an eyebrow, too tired to bother talking.

Her eyes glittered at him excitedly,

"You have to come and see this! I know you're tired and if I was anyone else you'd yell at them. So yes I am taking advantage of this but you have to come!"

"Why?" he asked, almost whining at her excitable enthusiasm,

"You just have to see!"

And against his better judgement, Van followed his sister down the maze of corridors; although at a far slower pace than she had intended as he was in no rush to see whatever Merle was so energized about.

To his surprise he wasn't dragged towards the castle entrance, or to the throne room or the kitchen as she had the year before having made him herself a birthday cake which was actually rather good. But food wasn't what he particularly wanted at this point in time. Even more surprised he was when he gathered where Merle was leading him to. His favourite window spot. But he was puzzled as to why Merle desperately wanted to show him the room. She couldn't know why he stared out of that particular window so what had she done?

Merle inwardly smirked at her brother's morose state of unwillingness behind her and was sure that he would be happy with her when she revealed her discovery. She had happened upon it completely by chance, after having wandered to the room expecting him to be there but had found something else. At first alarmed, but then looking more clearly and realizing the true meaning of what she saw. Something so amazing she had to find him and bring him quick.

And so she stopped outside the room, turning to him and gesturing for him to open the door. He quirked his eyebrow again, this time in slight annoyance. He had no idea what was going on and he certainly wasn't in the mood for socializing if Merle had decided to throw a surprise party in this very room for his damn birthday.

Even so Van sighed and knew Merle wouldn't let him leave before doing what she wanted. He reached out for the door handle using the arm she had previously let go of and strained to hear anything. He prayed it wasn't a surprise party in his honour as his mood was currently rather foul, causing him to be quite rude and leave his 'guests' to go and sleep somewhere uninterrupted for as long as he wished. He couldn't hear anything so he turned the handle and opened the door almost apprehensively.

Merle chuckled beside him and pushed the door wide open. He looked inside. There was nothing or rather no-one waiting for him. Not even a cake. He turned to stare at his sister, not wanting to yell at her, he only had the energy to sigh in his view.

She on the other hand had enough energy to push him into the room and towards the window for some unknown reason, still grinning behind him. She came to a halt when he stopped still with a clear view in front of the window he seemed to adore so much. His face illuminated by far more than the two moons that hung in the sky. Merle opened her mouth to point out where he was to look. For once not at the Mystic Moon but the mountains in the distance. But she sensed she didn't need to as he tensed up and gasped almost in wonder. They stared out at the view before them, smiling, but for slightly different reasons.

Their gazes were completely fixed by the mountains that gave Fanelia its natural borders, were alight.

Not in the same way as five years ago sparking the Destiny War, but in celebration. There were beacons lit at various points along the mountain paths and some were even different colours, a red beacon, a blue beacon and even a green one dotted about the peaks. The people of Fanelia were honouring the day and were sending a message of support and loyalty to their King on his birthday. To Merle's surprise, Van reached out and touched one of the panes of glass, laying his palm flat against it and smiled almost lovingly at the view.

He gently wrapped an arm around Merle's shoulder, pulling her closer to him and murmured,

"Thank you. This is the best birthday present I've had." Merle was surprised at the scale of Van's reaction. She had wanted to cheer him up, but had not expected such heartfelt emotion to pour out of him. She nodded and rested against him.

The two siblings watched the dazzling beacons for quite a long while; despite Van's earlier protests at wanting to be left alone and his desire to sleep. Merle was feeling pleased and rather happy to have made her brother's birthday a slightly more happy occasion. And Van himself smiled, inwardly glowing at the gesture, his thoughts on another, wondering if they had been involved in this.

His thoughts went out. _Thank you._

At the same time he felt as if they had responded and correctly too as he yawned and felt Merle resting against him more than she normally would as she too was yawning. He shook her gently out of her daze and the two left the room arm-in-arm, both content at the celebrations for the Fanelian King's twenty-first birthday.

But being the King of Fanelia, things weren't going to happen so easily.

The last two members of the Fanel household were walking slowly along a well-illuminated passage as it had large sweeping windows all along the right hand side, lighting up the tapestries and odd painting that adorned the walls. Van was still happy about the surprise he had received and slightly in his own world imagining things that Merle wasn't aware of. Merle also was happy in having cheered her brother up.

For whatever reason the gesture of the Fanelian people in the mountains had left him almost aglow himself Merle inwardly joked. Except he was suddenly aglow visibly, more than by just the reflection of the two moons resting in the sky.

Merle stared out the window as Van too was gazing fixedly at the bright pillar of light that had abruptly appeared from the heavens. She had to squint to focus on the dark fuzzy figure floating down the pillar coming to rest on one of the lawns in the Palace gardens. Turning to her transfixed brother, she noted his utter shock at what they had witnessed.

She recovered first and was bursting with glee as she once more yanked her brother along the never-ending corridors and down flights of stairs all the way out to the lawn. Van kept pace with her and could have probably speeded ahead but Merle sensed he was still in complete shock. Perhaps she would have to hit him so he could fully pay attention to Hitomi when she greeted him. Or kissed him or be kissed by him. The inner-romantic in Merle squealed with delight that the two star-crossed lovers in her view would be reunited and would now have the chance to live happily ever after.

Van seemed to recover as they entered the large lounge type chamber whose doors lead out onto the lawn that had been deposited on by the pillar of light. His pace increased and overtook Merle before opening the doors wide to get a better look at who had appeared on the palace grounds.

Merle stopped behind him at the same moment they heard a male voice murmur,

"Where in Buddha's name are we?" and then a younger, teen male reply,

"We're on Gaea! Holy Shit we're on Gaea! She was telling the truth Dad! It's real!" he cried once more as Van ventured out onto the paved part of the gardens leading from the door he had stepped out of.

Tagging along behind him, the feline grasped his arm tightly, hissing,

"Who are these people? Where's Hitomi?" Van had a nagging suspicion that _she_ wasn't with these two men even when a female voice piped up,

"I think Mamoru's right Ken-kun."

"Someone's coming!" The boy now identified as Mamoru said, trying to lower his voice and failing in his shock and realization at where he had been taken to by a mysterious pillar of light.

Van believed the best thing would be to approach them quietly and try not to startle them, whoever they were. But Merle didn't seem to share his thread of thought as she sped past him, without any thought to her own safety, marched up to the shadowed figures and demanded,

"Who are you and why are you in the Fanelian Palace's private gardens?" the individuals turned around, startled by an imperious voice.

The younger male who now appeared to be the tallest person replied, "We're in Fanelia?"

"Yes," came the bark of a reply from Merle. Van put a hand on her shoulder indicating for her to calm down and for him to deal with the uninvited guests.

"Who are you?" was the best he could come up with and apparently Merle agreed with his thoughts as she rolled her eyes at him. However the reply they received was rather informative, more informative than either he or Merle had expected.

The elder male stepped forward slightly shorter than the younger one and said in a rather shaky voice,

"And who are you sir?"

"I am Van Fanel, King of Fanelia," he said with his best authoritative tone, "And who are you?" he commanded once again, not hearing the gasp that came from one of the shadows. To everyone's surprise it was the younger boy who spoke rather clearly, though disbelief was obvious in his words,

"My name is Mamoru and these are my parents Kenzo and Haruka Kanzaki."

Both Merle and Van, for completely different reasons were left speechless.

* * *

A/N: This is an apology to everyone who wanted me to continue Locked Inside My Heart. I want to do this first and then maybe I'll post something similar but with less writer's block involved so thanks go out to:

InLuvWidVan Queen-of-the-Saps Sneedlle Missing-white-wings15 Arienhod flys without wings AmethystWings Honeypots Shadowwolf403 SnTAngel rukz

and everyone else who reviewed and chatted to me giving me a good kick up the backside, turning this from a reoccurring daydream to this!

Please review or Hitomi will be forced to marry Allen (gasp!) The purpley button at the very bottom of the screen is the only barrier separating Hitomi from Van! Press it to open the door between them so they can awkwardly flirt with each other.

Until next time …

Sina xx


	2. Moon gazing

It's at the beginning this time! Here goes again to my lovely reviewers! I will timeshare Van with you!:

InLuvWidVan Mysisterisasquijum tra aanal bhagat FuyuSarah f-zelda Sakura Kaoru-Chan Arienhod Rowenra thepinkmartini Mizuki1988 Darkryubaby Sneedlle Pretty Much A Big Deal

A/N: Chappie two! Here for you! And you wonder why I didn't involve poetry in my fics? You probably didn't wonder and I'm rambling. So I'll stop now and let you read, do you actually read these? Let me know!

**Loads of reviews! I love it! And super fast update? I hope so, here we go again…**

(see bottom for japanese terms, hope I used them right x)

Here's Hitomi….. (SHE'S NOT DEAD!) lol

* * *

Chapter 2: Moon gazing

She sighed as she looked up at the small silver moon looming in the skyline, her eyes squinting as if she would be able to transport herself to another place, preferably a palace where the Mystic Moon and the _Chibi_ moon as she dubbed it, were draped across the sky merely by wishing so. The alcohol was definitely taking its toll on her, making her think of something or rather someone she shouldn't really be thinking of.

Not now. She was to follow her path and if it led to a certain someone then so be it, if not then screw what she had been told. However she was happy that she had made an effort and if it was acknowledged then it would be enough.

However because of the date she had indulged as everyone else around her had, not as much perhaps. But alcohol was certainly a depressant in her case, compared to Takeshi who felt a boost in testosterone levels and thus usually attempted to seduce any member of the two legged gender, and Amano who found everything and everyone hysterical. The scene from her sitting point of view was amazing, the whole of the Shirakawa forest to the east was lit up and down into the valley, and sitting at the top of the valley on the porch steps of the Shrine added to this.

Normally when she went quiet and sat gazing at the stars she was left well alone. But this time an arm slung round her bare shoulder,

"Yo, Hito-chan. Bedtime girl, you can see those twinkly fairy lights tomorrow." She rolled her eyes, gently elbowing her beloved friend and ignoring his words. So he pulled her closer against his side and whispered in her ear, slightly smelling of alcohol,

"I think they won't mind if you leave, or shall we put on a little show for them," and his nose rubbed against her ear.

She laughed quietly,

"No thanks, incest's not my thing," and stood up, brushing imaginary dust off her green dress. She wobbled slightly in her heels, and her inebriated state, and flicked his head,

"Like you said, bed time. We better make sure that Amano's asleep in his own bed and not the bathtub or a closet." Takeshi got up and snorted,

"Yeah, we don't want him screaming the place down when he wakes up and thinks he's been buried alive."

Hitomi joined in with his laughter and walked up the few steps to the door after him, but quickly turning back to the stars and staring at the silver looking orb, thought to herself and hopefully to another, _Sleep well._

Following him into the archaic and grand Shrine that engulfed most of the skyline from below which was home to her, she gently smacked him upside the head for rolling his eyes, hugged him goodnight and wandered to her room, kicking off her shoes and falling onto her bed, not bothering to change clothes.

Mornings were horrendous when you were hungover Hitomi thought, even though this was only her third or fourth encounter with the after-effects, having been only slightly drunk the night before. Although she had only had a few drinks she hadn't eaten much and lined her stomach properly. She groaned and looked out her window into the wooded part of the property and the sun starting to peek out of the trees. She sighed and saw she had wrinkled the layers of her dress, so she pulled it over her head, pulled on a shift and loose yukata and found clean underwear.

Opening the sliding doors, she went outside in search of steaming water and preferably hot food as a temporal hangover cure. She hummed to herself as she went, remembering the odd song off the radio and grinned at the way she was living. Truly feudal-style as Takeshi said, she sighed remembering just how drunk he was, and that he really shouldn't behave that way especially with his responsibilities.

She mentally calculated which day it was by how much she had allowed Takeshi to drink, and how far into a stupor he had fallen as her feet grazed the dew drops on the grass walking towards the baths. The waterfall and drop pool were practically out of bounds now after being discovered by a pervert and then broadcast to everyone it was her bathing spot, though luckily he had seen her with most of her clothes on, having only removed her yukata with a vest and pyjama bottoms underneath; but it was the principle of the thing. So outside bathing was a no-no.

She passed a few women on their way for early morning prayers who smiled at her and one child walked right up to her and wordlessly placed her arms around Hitomi's waist. The women smiled at her again as Hitomi placed her hand on the child's head and smiled gently back. It was too early for worship she thought as the smell of ylang-ylang wafted towards her from the baths. Grinning widely at the wonderful smell and in the knowledge of an hour's uninterrupted bathing before her housemates woke and pestered her for food, or training, or work; she sent up a silent thanks to her patron and a gentle reminder that she would be free after the hour of the rat.

Swinging her piece of cloth containing her fresh undergarments and shift – she would change properly after bathing and breakfast – she stepped inside the small but very cosy bathhouse, took the jar of ylang-ylang salts towards her and her companions' bath room which would be hers for the next few hours if she wished. She locked the door behind her, waited for the bath to fill up, then scattered the salts into the steaming water before undressing and slipping into the deliciously hot bath. _This IS the life, well part of it anyway, _she thought as she left her mind gently wander on the pleasant things in her current life.

Of course an hour to bathe was far too ambitious even on a morning where Takeshi and Amano would supposedly sleep in and leave her alone in their hungover states, or even pester someone else to cook for them. But heaven was pulled from her grasp and she was mercilessly thrown back to the ground and still warm water which didn't make her all that eager to leave the sweet-smelling balmy cocoon of a bath.

The door rattled loudly and a hoarse voice called out,

"Get up Hitomi! It's an emergency! Get up now! We need you!" To the man's surprise the door opened and Hitomi's half closed yukata with slightly see-through shift hastily pulled on, her wavy hair now straight and dripping wet,

"What is it?" her voice full of concern, wondering what problem had arisen, her eyes scrutinizing the man only wearing pyjama pants, who replied cheekily,

"Me and Shi want food! Please! We're hungover and really don't feel well. Please!" Amano put on his puppy-eyed look and Hitomi growled as she stomped past him,

"You know perfectly well how to cook!"

Amano plodded along behind her grinning,

"But you make the best hangover cures and you know it. Would you really let us suffer?" he murmured, trying not to let the triumph sound in his voice.

She stopped, and looked him in the eye,

"Just one bath! That's all! One uninterrupted bath all to myself without someone banging on the door! Is that too much to ask?" She spun on her heel and walked towards the main back door to their own kitchen, apart from the main one in the shrine itself. The rest of the journey was followed by in silence. Inside sat Takeshi with hakama pants and a t-shirt on, his head resting on the tabletop.

As she entered their own private kitchen and dining area, the dark haired man stood up gingerly, then casually bounded over and ruffled Hitomi's hair, grinning widely,

"How was your bath then?"

She swatted him away, glaring at the two men before her; one rather sheepish and the other perfectly comfortable in the knowledge she had only achieved 49 minutes of bliss and not the entire 60 she had hoped for. Turning towards Takeshi, who had now seated himself in anticipation of her cooking she watched as he continued cheekily, "We laid out everything you need."

"Shouldn't you have gone _home_ last night?"

"Trying to get rid of me are we? I certainly hope not, for I cannot bear to be parted from you dearest sister…"

Amano smirked at his friend's careful taunting of the enraged female when the door opened after a short sharp knock,

"My lord," a man dressed in a courtly manner appeared with a seal on the breast of his cloak bowed and continued, "Your brother requests that you return as soon as possible as you have matters to discuss," He bowed again and Hitomi watched Takeshi's eyes roll around their socket in obvious annoyance, so she placed her hands on his shoulders calmly and smiled warmly at the messenger,

"We thank you. Would you care for some food?"

The messenger seemed to easily sense that his lord was displeased with him because of his reaction, so he shook his head as well as the fact he would never consider to be able to eat with people of such a high status, he blushed at the lady's good will.

"I am honoured my Lady, but I am afraid I have more errands to run, I thank you immensely for your offer." He bowed and then left, closing the door behind him, still managing to hear,

"More's the pity," spouting sarcastically from his lord's mouth.

However he was out of hearing range when his lord Takeshi swore at being hit upside the head.

Back inside the kitchen with the large yet cosy dining table, Amano rolled his eyes at his friend's obvious discomfort and murmured jokingly,

"Would my lord like his eggs boiled or scrambled?" Hitomi adding to it by curtseying dramatically, leaving Takeshi in an even bigger huff. This delighted Hitomi, who set to her cooking with a rather cheerful mood and an even more cheerful song in her head. Takeshi willingly scowled at his friends' mocking him, completely aware that the situation had been the other way round a few seconds ago and scowled further.

The petulant man's bad mood however quickly evaporated when the door to their kitchen opened once again, but without a knock as there was no need. Hitomi and he knew already who was behind the door. He stood to his feet and strode over to the old man standing in the doorway and bowed respectfully before receiving a cuff over the head and a one armed hug,

"Morning Jii-chan," he murmured painfully as the two strikes to his head had brought his headache back with a vengeance.

Amano stood and courteously bowed to the new arrival who bowed respectfully in turn before drawing up a new chair and sitting beside him as a plate and cutlery appeared in front of him. Hitomi, who still hadn't verbally acknowledged the man's arrival, had done so physically by adding two extra eggs and rashers of bacon to the stove she was cooking on. In return the man smiled gently,

"You're learning," she turned around and grinned at him, passing the two younger males a concoction of herbs and viscous liquid, who stared at it mutinously before downing it and grimacing.

The old man continued, "I thought you said you'd be free after the hour of the rat," pausing to notice her still drying hair that was beginning to curl.

"Ahh," he continued, " You were cut short of time I gather?" arousing a laugh from Takeshi and Amano, and a slight chuckle from himself, but subsided when Hitomi sat down with four steaming cups of tea who sighed sadly. He smiled and reached for her hand across the table, benevolently cautioning,

"You may desire the whole hour for bathing Hitomi, but when you do eventually have time to bathe for a whole hour, will you happily sit there or will you be wishing to have things to do?"

He smiled, teasingly watching her blush slightly, nod, and then grin; rolling her eyes at Takeshi's smirk.

"I'm never making another hangover cure for you again." The whole table erupted into laughter and quiet chatter for a few minutes as Hitomi rose again to take care of the breakfast and then placing eggs; both scrambled and boiled, bacon rashers, sausages, toast and a pancakey substance onto each plate, then sitting down again to eat with her family.

After eating in silence for a short while Amano finished the last of his egg and toast sandwiches he created and asked quietly,

"Ryuu-sama, is there any sign of leaks on the roof after the heavy rainfall for the past few days?" Hitomi and Takeshi rolled their eyes at Amano's otaku-like qualities when it came to his engineering and architectural skills which he was well respected for. Ryuu however smiled and responded,

"I didn't manage to look as I came in, but I can look for you before we start training."

At the mention of the last word, Takeshi and Hitomi groaned aloud offsetting a Father Christmas style laugh from Ryuu, holding both a benign and yet knowingly strict quality to it. And soon after breakfast was cleared, Ryuu left to visit the inner part of the Shrine where people were worshipping leaving the two boys to clean up as Hitomi left to get properly dressed and wait in the gardens for both Takeshi and Ryuu.

She walked out onto the lawn she had strolled across earlier, however the dew draped the edges of her gown rather than decorating her feet as before. She calmly trotted across the rocky boundary that kept the inner Shrine separate from the areas where people worked and rested in the Shrine itself, however all were treated equally under Hitomi's gaze.

It was easy to spot her good friend and another adopted relative neatly taking washing down from the lines and folding them carefully.

"Kiki! You're back!" She cried and hugged her tightly, "You missed the party last night,"

"I know! I know, but I saw the lights! Impressive! I was still on the road until late last night." She grinned, "And there's no need to chastise me, I looked after myself perfectly, no idiot would get past me. As if anyone was out last night anyway, everyone was celebrating! The roads were practically deserted."

Hitomi rolled her eyes at Satsuki's courage.

"So why didn't you get here earlier?" Hitomi watching Satsuki sigh,

"Meh, I left late so I got back late, okay?" Hitomi nodded and then asked,

"Where's Mayu? Is she up yet?"

She smiled, encouraging the slight smile on Satsuki's face who replied,

"Nope, decided to let her sleep in, someone allowed her to stay up quite late last night…" she glared mockingly at Hitomi, who tried her best to look nonchalant,

"If you'd have been here then you could have laid down the law, but everyone else stayed up late so I thought why not her as well. And she missed you!" Satsuki's mocking glare sobered as she nodded.

"I know." Hitomi reached out to her once again,

"It's alright, we had fun the past few days, even though she did cry the first night, the others she stayed with me."

"So," Hitomi asked rather genteelly, "What's the latest from the outside world?" avoiding her friend's gaze as Satsuki smirked,

"Don't you mean how is the Fanelian King?" she smirked and inwardly revelled at Hitomi's slight blush and frustration,

"Is it wrong for me to enquire about someone I know?" she argued, waiting for Satsuki to retaliate.

But before the two women could start trading insults or teasing as Satsuki would call it, she heard a familiar voice call out,

"Where are you Mimi-chan?" and from behind her came Takeshi, bounding across the rocks towards her in a more formal state of attire yet still casual for the situation at hand. He stopped right in front of her, took her hand and clasped them between his own,

"Have you been hiding from me Mimi?" putting on a sad puppy face, causing her to roll her eyes and murmur,

"Have you noticed who's back?" she asked discreetly and Takeshi shook his head and looked to his left and saw someone else by Hitomi.

"Satsuki-nee-chan!" he cried and engulfed the blonde woman in a hug, whose grey eyes rolled in sync with Hitomi's to his overreaction.

"Hello to you too _little brother_." She smirked slightly as he let go of her, "How've you been behaving?"

Hitomi laughed at their behaviour as they turned to look at her,

"He's been well behaved, up until last night." Takeshi shrugged and asked her,

"Sooo, what's going on in Gaea then?" Satsuki heaved a dramatic sigh and asked in a hurt tone,

"Is this the only reason you've come to see me this morning? For news and gossip?" Hitomi and Takeshi shared a mutual glance and then almost barrelled over Satsuki with another hug and crying aloud,

"No!"

Satsuki giggled, and smiled at her friends, or rather her somewhat family,

"I'll tell you all at dinner so I don't have to repeat myself. And you can tell me what you've been up to and what Mayu's learnt; all together again." Hitomi nodded, smiling wistfully at the content feeling she had rarely encountered a few years back but now seemed to be in harmony with the people and the place around her.

Takeshi however started up his giddy behaviour once again by almost yelling,

"Well come on then! Jii-chan's ready. Let's go!" and off he went bounding back across the rocks, leaving Hitomi to ask,

"Aren't you coming?" Satsuki shook her head and her shoulder length curly locks,

"I have some errands to run, but tell Jii-chan I'll see him at dinner."

"That's if he comes!" Hitomi grinned, nodding and turned to follow the bouncing ball of energy in front of her.

Takeshi turned back round after a minute of so of bouncing ahead, and called out,

"Come on slow poke." He watched Hitomi walk calmly towards him, smiling gently and raised a suspicious eyebrow,

"Isn't nee-chan coming?" he asked, in an almost child-like tone

"Nope, she has something to do." She replied casually.

"What?" Came the accusation from the childish man.

"I don't know, she didn't tell me."

"You're getting defensive. What did she tell you and told you not to tell me?"

"If that made any sense to you, she didn't tell me."

"You're plotting something." He accused once more, pointing a finger at her as they walked.

"What would I be plotting?" Hitomi asked, confused.

"I have no idea, but I don't like it."

"Well don't look then." She replied, smirking and Takeshi took on his favourite juvenile mannerism,

"I'm telling Jii-chan that you're plotting against me."

"I fail to see how Hitomi is plotting against you Takeshi, and shouldn't you be returning soon? Didn't your brother call you home?" Ryuu gently called, sitting on a mat in the shade of a well-built tree. He gestured towards his students; who sat opposite him, Takeshi casually waving him off,

"Aa, I'll get back to him later, no rush. Anyway I'm far more **at home** with you guys!"

"We can discuss where your home is later Takeshi, whether it be in Ezgardia or Osaka, now we must concentrate. Satsuki will be joining us later I gather Hitomi?" She nodded, wanting to start as soon as possible as she had other chores to perform that day.

The old man noticed, and smiled gently,

"Patience, and if not I will see Satsuki at dinner, it will be nice to have the whole family together once again," he murmured gently, watching Hitomi's blush turn into a warm smile at the word family and returned it, sending a prayer up to the gods that she would be happy here, more so than her previous life. He also hoped that what was to come wouldn't destroy her completely, as well as the revelations of what was going on and the reasons behind it.

He only wished that she would find some true happiness in what would happen or what was being set into place, if nothing else. And so the three people sitting in the garden began their daily ritual.

* * *

Over an hour of daylight was spent with Takeshi and Ryuu-jii-chan as she called him before he decided that it had been enough and joked that Hitomi had things to be getting on with. Takeshi briefly discussed the best way to get back to his brother and return home in time for dinner or earlier, but was gently scolded by Ryuu who murmured something about the importance of family. He rolled his eyes and set off, taking his horse from the stables. Ryuu walked back into the shrine with Hitomi and set off looking for Amano who had asked for his help.

Hitomi however had three appointments before lunchtime and was not going to be late to any of them, even if she did get caught up.

Instead of riding down the trail to the village as it was steep in places, she walked down the gentle mountain path, swinging her basket carrying the various necessities and space for purchases. Enjoying the view of the various peaks around them, she saw Takeshi's tracks lead up towards his brother's residence. She smiled to herself, happy with her current circumstances; they weren't what she had initially hoped for but she could see the merit in them now. She had been given time to adjust, which she had.

She only hoped that it would be sooner rather than later she would be allowed to leave the Valley and visit him.

Her first appointment was simple, a boy with asthma with a slightly overworked mother with his two younger siblings running round the place. She happily gave some herbs to help his breathing and a slight reprimand about playing too rigorously. She smiled as she went left the house, on her way to her second appointment.

A short while later Hitomi was eating soup with one of the village's eldest residents.

Shinji Kurosaki was a delightful patient who suffered from Arthritis in his shoulders and elbow joints, making it hard for him to lift and reach high things. So rather than medical diagnosis, Hitomi often spent her time in his house cleaning hard to reach places, making important things more accessible and generally tidying up after him. Shinji, however old he was physically, had the mental age of a 20 year old. And he was very well informed about Gaean politics. Thus in return for Hitomi's home help routine, he would teach her about the various concepts and political strategies of the past century.

He, like most of the residents was fully aware of who Hitomi was and her 'role' in the Destiny War. But he treated her like an old friend. Everyone in the village was content to know Hitomi and treated her as one of them. Still, there was an attitude that she was different to them, she was an instrument of the Gods and so she was given respect equal to that of a King, per say. Shinji also offered her food when she visited every few days.

Everyone in the village knew each other well, so he had others helping him by bringing food both ingredients and fully cooked meals. Today's soup however was his late wife's creation which he had learned by default. Hitomi loved the recipe but could never manage the same taste when she tried it herself. The boys were firm favourites of her version, however they had never tasted the original.

"You look down little one, is something troubling you?" he asked as Hitomi had made no comment or query during his monologue whilst cooking, about Freid-Asturian trade agreements. "Is it because of last night?" Shinji prodded gently as he was rather fond of the young seeress and he didn't like seeing her unhappy.

Being part of the Destiny War had automatically granted Hitomi saviour status all throughout Gaea, explaining why she was happy in this small village with praise for her current deeds alone and practically no worship because of it. Thus her connection to Van had been exaggerated more than she had wished as their relationship during the war had been greatly romanticized by authors who she believed were cashing in on the War itself.

The people around her luckily made no mention of it, and it wasn't as if she was seen as being _his. _

Indeed she had received a few offers of courtship, but she had kindly declined them. Hitomi shrugged,

"Why would the Mid-Spring festival upset me Uncle?" Using another custom of the village that younger people used to address older members of the community. Hitomi liked this idea too as it made the group even more close-knit, far more so than in her old life where she was renowned in her neighbourhood for other things.

The elder man huffed at her, "Don't try that with me Hitomi. You know full well what other significance yesterday held."

Hitomi sighed, "White, 12th moon." She murmured, accustomed to the Gaean calendar.

"It was the Fanelian King's twenty-first birthday," she replied in a monotone as if it held no meaning to her. "Can we talk about something else please?" Shinji nodded. Respecting his young guest's wishes, he hoped someone else would be a friendly ear to her as she was obviously saddened by what was happening.

He smiled soothingly and declared, "Let us discuss something of your home today Hitomi. What is this curious Tubbyvision you've mentioned before?"

Hitomi burst into giggles almost hysterically at his version of 'Television.' She appreciated his attempt at changing the subject and successfully as she heartily laughed through her explanation of the actual word. Deep down though she appreciated that someone had recognised her slightly false demeanour, but she was not here to mope, so mope she wouldn't.

Her third appointment was with a young man, a drinking partner of Takeshi's who had been overexcited during their last drinking session and had giddily climbed a tree after being dared to do so. Of course being drunk and over-confident he decided to leap 10 foot from a tree branch and broke the one arm he held out to ironically 'break' his fall. She calmly nodded and responded to his chatter and slightly embarrassed apology for wasting her time, to which she politely replied that his sister was heavily pregnant and she could check on her progress at the same time.

No matter how interesting or important her patient's chatter was, her thoughts stayed on one man and it wasn't the man in front of her unfortunately. A small smile reached her eyes as well as her mouth with the stray wish the man in front of her could be the one she was thinking of.

She blushed, unaware that her patient was asking after Takeshi and how he was. The patient, noticing her blush, smirked slightly as many people in the village held the view that Takeshi Manabe, their landlord's brother and Hitomi would make a lovely couple. Hitomi paid no attention to this and removed the splint she had attached to his arm, checking the bone had realigned properly and then gratefully received a loaf of bread made by her patient's sister which was a great favourite in the Manabe household as she mentally called it and left the house.

Hitomi casually walked back through the small cluster of streets, pausing occasionally to wave or chat briefly with people she passed, some enquiring for appointments, others asking how she was and her fellow shrine-mates. She looked up at the sky watching the clouds quietly drift along, darker than they had been before and probably heavy with rain. She quickened her pace and reached the inclined path that led to the shrine and hopefully a warm bed before she would have to get up and do her daily chores. And probably even more training.

* * *

After a half hour nap she was happily woken up by the rainstorm playing outside her window and down the mountains. She stretched and smiled as she sat up in her warm bed, looking out at the wet cold conditions, aware that she had done her chores beforehand and could lounge here for a while before starting dinner. She got up and made her bed once more, leaving the room and quietly padding past Mayu's room who also enjoyed having an hour's late afternoon nap. In her mind if a four year old could have one, why couldn't she?

Hitomi wandered along the hallway until she reached the main shrine. She calmly crossed the decorated chamber, bowing midway to the Dragon God and mentally searching for her sensei.

However she didn't make it fully across to the other side as Takeshi appeared in the doorway, banging and crashing as if he were a bolt of lightening. A scowl stitched across his face, which Hitomi suspected had more to do with the weather than anything else. She walked towards the doors and him as he unstrapped his sword and placed it in a cupboard by the door. No weapons were allowed in the shrine, not that any of the visitors came wielding arms.

Hitomi cautiously approached him,

"How's Nii-san?" she asked, then taking a step back as Takeshi chose to shake his hair and cloak out like a dog would, spraying Hitomi with water droplets. She rolled her eyes and gestured slightly, evaporating the water droplets that had hit her. Takeshi murmured something and his hair stopped dripping, as did his cloak. His boots were clean of mud also. He looked at Hitomi gravely,

"I think something's wrong."

"What do you mean? Is Hana okay?" Takeshi shook his head and moved towards the black marble statue of Escaflowne before sitting crossed legged facing the statue, untying his cloak, letting it fall behind him. Hitomi followed him and sat facing him.

"I get the feeling that Nii-san's up to something."

"He's cheating on Hana?" Hitomi asked, shocked as hell. "Kakeru's the good one. You're the womanizer!" She announced, waiting for a rebuttal. Takeshi snorted,

"Nothing like that Mimi. Nii-san's tame as anything in that respect. He loves Hana."

"Then what do you mean?!" she cut across him, annoyed with the suspense he seemed to be creating.

"I don't know." He murmured, seeming confused, "We had lunch today and he kept asking about you and how you were doing. Were you comfortable here? Did you like the new life you have?"

"So? Kakeru-nii-san's just looking out for me." Hitomi countered.

Takeshi shook his head,

"I don't think he was asking _just_ for you Mimi. I sensed something, after all the training Jii-chan's given us, it was screaming out at me."

"What was? Takeshi! Get to the point, it isn't a Sherlock Holmes mystery!" Takeshi laughed, but it was bitter almost, forced.

"Nii-san seemed to centre the conversation entirely on you. He was trying to hide it, by asking about Amano, Satsuki, and the various people he grew up in the village but he seemed entirely focused on talking about you."

"So what do you think it means? What were his true intentions?"

"I'm no good at sensing people's emotions, that's your job." Hitomi rolled her eyes, "But I swear I could feel him mentally noting things as if he's preparing something. Like all the questions about you were for a reason."

He coughed uncomfortably, looked around the shrine as if waiting for enemy soldiers to leap out at them and then continued under Hitomi's impatient glare,

"I think…don't quote me on it…"

"Takeshi!" Hitomi growled, getting more and more aggravated by Takeshi's meandering.

"I think Nii-san wants to betroth you," he paused taking in her baffled reaction and continued swiftly so it wouldn't be prolonged any further, "To me."

The last thing Takeshi expected, was for Hitomi to laugh. He was already worried and suspicious of his brother's strange behaviour and the strange atmosphere he could sense between them. Hitomi's addition to this was not helping his mental state.

"Shi, seriously. Why would your brother want to marry me to you? I'm practically family as it is. Last time we were there he said I should become a member of the family properly."

"Yeah and how is that going to happen? Huh?" he gesticulated, "By marrying me! It's obvious!"

"It's not obvious Shi," Hitomi tried to calm down her rapidly flustered 'adopted' brother. "You know the deal. Being the 'Seeress from the Mystic Moon,' everyone thinks I'm…" she faltered, looking to the side,

"In love with Van, _I know_." He replied tactlessly, unaware of Hitomi's morose feelings because of the previous day,

"But why does my brother care?" he continued.

"Since when has your brother been interested in outside politics? When has he cared for social standing?" Hitomi demanded "His wife's from the Valley, no princess or noblewoman. So why would he start caring now?"

"What do you mean?" Takeshi asked, getting more baffled by the duration of the conversation. Hitomi sighed,

"Why would Kakeru-nii-san decide to marry us off? He knows we don't look at each other in that way, we see each other as siblings right? So why would he want us to be together if we're not like that in the first place?"

"And he doesn't care about the outside; he's got no reason to be as we're so cut off. Nor does he pay attention to his social standing, no one is aware of him." Takeshi caught on to her argument, his voice lightening with tone as he followed her train of thought.

"So you don't think he wants us to get married?" he asked one final time, doubts still niggling at him.

"No!" Hitomi laughed, "He probably was asking a load of questions because I'm from another planet, moron. He wants to make sure I'm happy here and settling in comfortably to the alien environment."

"Hey! Don't call me an alien!" Takeshi cried, his good mood bubbling back to the surface along with his childish manners.

"Why not? You have green skin, three eyes and a tail don't you?" she smirked,

"No that's the statue behind you! Who's the moron now?" Hitomi laughed and Takeshi smiled at his 'adopted' sister's teasing.

Hitomi got up off the now slightly warm floor.

"I think I'm going to start dinner. You helping me today? Or are you _busy_?" she gently accused, knowing his hatred of having to cook.

"Mimi," he placed his hand over his heart, still sitting, "I have to pray to Lord Escaflowne." His solemn demeanour changing, "We haven't had a good chat in ages!" He beamed up at her, making her laugh again. She smiled, eased by his own return to happiness.

"Okay, remember to tell him how much we like ice-cream!" she grinned and walked out of the chamber towards the kitchen in a cheerful mood. She knew that someday she would have to face her fears about the 'Draconian King,' but right now she was happy to put them aside and make good food for her family.

Takeshi stretched out in the Shrine alone with the Black marble statue of the fearsome Dragon God. Patron of Fanelia and of this small place as well. He sighed, staring into the eyes of the statue,

"I still think nii-san's up to something Escaflowne-sama. I just have no idea what. And I hope it doesn't hurt Hitomi, not with what she's been through. Keep her safe, ne? And Happy? Oh and less cranky in the mornings if you can manage it too?" He stood up and bowed so his face was parallel to the floor then left in search of Amano and the possibility of pilfering apples.

**

* * *

**

Glossary –

Jii-chan = grandfather

Nee-chan = sister (older)

Nii-san = brother (older)

Dono – miss/mister – but very polite form, used to convey deep respect.

* * *

A/N: Please review! No blackmail this time!!!!!! I promise! Tell me what you think of it, and what you think is happening as I'm curious to see how you will view it and what you think will come next! Ooh and where do you think Hitomi is as well?

Let us pray to Escaflowne-kami that the reviews will be numerous and fruitful!

Until next time …

Sina xx


	3. Questions and Answers?

A/N: Okay! Apologies for chapter two if it was too confusing so there's a quick guide to my new 'original' characters at the bottom, some are key to the story! I hope I haven't added too many.

Sorry for the wait! Chapter four will be longer and so will take longer to arrive!

And woops – I don't own Escaflowne or anything to do with it so this counts for previous and future chapters.

Wahhh! Why isn't Van real?

Woo! My most reviewed story! Arigato Gozaimas!!!!!!!

Thanks again for reading and reviewing to:

Sakura Kaoru-Chan – who has channelled something!

Draconian Kitten (and Arienhod) – the guide is at the bottom! 

Honeypots – update here!

Thepinkmartini – character guide! Tell me if it helps or doesn't!

Mysisterisasquijum – knows what she's talking about!

InLuvWidVan – who guessed correctly *something.* lol

Jav-chan – thank you for patiently waiting!

Sneedlle – who liked the confusion! Yay!

Okay here it's going to start to kick off again and we have the 'old' crew all back together. Fingers crossed things go smoothly …

N/B: _Italics towards the end signify the people talking in the projection. It'll make sense!_

* * *

Chapter 3: Questions and answers?

Van hadn't visited his favourite window spot for a whole two days, but not intentionally. The shock of Hitomi Kanzaki's family turning up in Gaea in _his_ own gardens had completely unbalanced him. He had managed to calmly suggest that they stay in the Palace, which they warily accepted. Merle seemed to take offence at how suspicious they were but Van had a slight understanding of how they felt. After all he too had been picked up by a pillar of light, albeit whilst trying to kill a Dragon, and landed on a foreign planet and been slapped by a teenage girl.

Although said girl he fell in love with. So maybe it wasn't so bad he smiled wistfully.

However in his view, surely Hitomi's family should have been less frightened than they had been as their daughter/sister had done it before. And therefore they would have recognised the pillar of light and reasoned that they were on Gaea. But that wasn't his concern, he now had to factor in her parents. And this could be problematic.

But surely they wouldn't refuse a King, would they? From the past few discussions he had had with the select few that knew of his preparation, they hadn't thought of any possible problems that could arise. Then this happened. Was it really a problem? For all he knew, Hitomi's family could be beneficial to him.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a messenger and hot on his tails was Merle almost bouncing in excitement as the messenger announced,

"Your Majesty, The Crusade has arrived with Sir Allen and the Asturian King and Queen." Van looked up from his desk where he had been reading an important letter and nodded.

Just as expected his friends had arrived earlier than arranged, probably due to Dryden's pestering for an earlier departure date for his 'holiday.' Of course as the host it was anything but a holiday for Van, but he loved the company. It was a pleasure to hear the corridors filled with voices and having people around him he counted as friends. Soon enough the corridors would be filled with the voices he would love, he hoped.

Van stood up from his desk covering the letter with a few documents that were highly important in his view. But the letter was also an equal priority. He took Merle's arm in his and strolled down the corridor whilst being almost dragged along by Merle who wanted to see their friends. After the war, things changed. People changed. Merle's babble was testament to it.

"Ne, Van-sama. Do you think Millerna will bring Duke Chid with her? And Celena, I wonder if she's grown her hair. And don't be playing cards with Dryden, he cheats. Millerna told me." He smiled fondly at his sister's excited chatter. During the war, Millerna had referred to Hitomi as his servant girl which to this day made him inwardly chuckle. She had not even looked at or addressed Merle. Now they were firm friends, Merle having learnt various arts of healing from her. He knew as well as Millerna that true friends were hard to come by when in a position of power, no matter what rank your friends held.

And Celena Schezar. She had been experimented on by Zaibach and her alter-ego had caused the destruction of Fanelia. At first meeting her, he had expected to see a flicker of the murderous Dilandau in her, but she couldn't be more different. After a few encounters, Van had accepted her as Allen's sister and nothing more. She had adapted quite well to life after Dilandau and from what Merle had told him, had her own band of admirers. Something which Allen had begrudgingly accepted as Celena paid them no attention.

Millerna, Celena, and Merle had formed a trio in the same way Dryden, Allen and he had after the war; their friendships strong bases for trust over political matters and they cared for one another. The ravages of war had affected all of them and one person brought them all together, even Celena who hadn't personally met her as her true self. Nonetheless the effect of Hitomi on all of them had brought them together.

Van and Merle made their way down the main staircase and into the long hallway that arrived out onto the landing space for any leviships, of which he himself now owned one. Though he personally preferred a horse as he rarely travelled so far to have need of the leviship and he had an edge over everyone else in Gaea, he could fly.

They stepped out into the bright spring sunshine and Merle let go of his arm to run out to their guests and embraced Celena tightly who fervently returned the gesture. Allen wasn't far behind her who walked past the two ladies to bow ceremonially before Van who rolled his eyes and held his hand out to him. Allen smiled and pulled him into a hearty 'man's' hug before letting go, beaming at him and stepping aside for his reigning monarchs to approach.

Dryden and Millerna were an interesting couple. After Dryden's departure to Zaibach to help with the aid after the war, Millerna had realised what she had let go of and a month after had chased after him, demanding as his wife to come back and join her at her coronation. He refused and she broke down. Many suspected that she would run to Allen Schezar her past love, but to their surprise she was coronated alone and jubilantly. A year after her plea, Dryden returned and without any bitterness Millerna welcomed him with open arms. Dryden was naturally protective of his wife, but Van noticed how even more attentive Dryden was this time around. He wondered if there was an announcement to be made soon.

The two of them made their way towards Van and both embraced him. Celena and Merle had joined the congregation and it was Dryden who broke the silence by asking,

"Well, where is she?" Merle looked at the Asturian King who although was intelligent, made no sense to her at this point so she politely as possible asked,

"Where's who, Dryden-sama?"

To make her even more confused, Allen jokingly punched Van's arm and asked,

"You shouldn't hide her from us Van. Where is Hitomi?"

"Hitomi?" Merle asked, mystified, and then it clicked. Apparently it had for Van too and before her as he calmly shook his head and said,

"She's not here."

"What?" Millerna asked, mystified as Merle previously was.

"What do you mean? We all saw the pillar of light."

"Exactly, and on your birthday. Birthday wish right?" Allen said, winking comically having assumed that Van was pretending not to know where Hitomi was. He wasn't very far off the mark.

Van sighed tiredly after his own council had harassed him over the pillar of light, "There was a pillar of light. But it wasn't Hitomi who came."

"Then who?" demanded Celena who, having never met Hitomi was eager to do so and felt baffled as Hitomi's name was almost synonymous with the pillar of light in Gaea.

"Hitomi's family." Van answered, but was cut off before continuing any further by Allen,

"Hitomi's family? So where is she? Why wasn't she with them?" an apt question in Merle's mind as Van seemed unconcerned about Hitomi's family arriving without her.

"You did call for Hitomi, right Van?" Dryden asked.

Even Merle was curious to know the answer. She had been with him when the pillar of light had appeared, but he seemed as shocked as she had. She hadn't even seen him use the pendant Hitomi gave him nor an energist. But Van too, seemed to be incapable of answering the first question. He sighed and gestured towards the palace,

"The pillar appeared of its own accord. I have no idea why, I didn't wish for it. And I haven't properly spoken to her family yet. They slept most of yesterday and I haven't had a chance to talk to them yet, but I was planning to today."

"Can we see them?" Celena asked, curious to meet people from the Mystic Moon and ones connected to Hitomi for that matter. To everyone's surprise it was Merle, who piped up,

"They may come from another planet, but they're probably as confused as we are. We should be respectful to them and try and answer the questions that they have before throwing at them the ones we have for them." Celena blushed slightly, aware that her curiosity had seemed slightly disrespectful as if wanting to see the circus.

The others heeded Merle's words, Van proud of his sister for being so thoughtful; though he knew she was speaking from her own past. He was no longer allowed to ruffle her hair so he placed her arm through his again, smiling his praise for her, getting a grin in return.

"I think it would be good for them to ask whatever questions they have. But I suppose a few more people to see them won't hurt." Van conceded and their guests followed them into the Palace and towards the wing the Kanzaki family minus one from the Mystic Moon were staying in. All of the group were aware the family would probably have questions for Van especially, but they too were curious about what had happened to the Seeress from the Mystic Moon. Specifically why she hadn't returned with them, and why not?

* * *

In the guest wing which Kenzo, Haruka and Mamoru Kanzaki had been guided to there was a continuous air of shock about where they were currently situated. The facts were these.

The Kanzaki family minus one were going to Tokyo on a weekend trip and so they had bags with them of clothes and various weekend break necessities.

In Mamoru's case it included his Nintendo DS, his mp3 player which had been illegally modified to hold three times the capacity of songs, his mobile phone which had no reception as he had checked it four times already and his state of the art Samsung video camera which took digital photos as well.

If he had been in a balanced sense of mind he would have been bummed he didn't have his laptop to occupy him. But he had too many thoughts already to have need of something else to divert him.

Haruka Kanzaki had fainted shortly after arriving in the bedroom they had been given. A servant had heard the noise of her hitting the floor, as her husband had been too dazed to notice, had knocked before entering and left quickly before returning with a glass of water.

Her husband, Kenzo had almost thrown it out of the servant's hand but Haruka who had revived a few seconds before, gratefully took it from the proffered hand and sipped cathartically as if it would cure her of whatever she felt she was suffering from.

Mamoru, being the most adventurous of the three had opened a door, that didn't connect to his parents' room or to the corridor outside. And he discovered a sitting room that was far more luxurious than any he had ever been in. The closest in comparison would have been rooms in the Imperial palace they had visited on a school trip to Kyoto last year. But this was far bigger, in perfect condition and in current use. It was twice the size of their living room with three plush and extremely comfortable sofas. There were huge bay windows to the right of the room which held views of exotic gardens, the same gardens he assumed they had appeared in.

One of the windows had a small balcony which he gingerly stepped out onto as if expecting something to attack him. But there was nothing but the view.

Even a teenage boy like him who preferred staring at a computer screen, fast cars, and occasionally pretty girls, could appreciate the beauty of the panorama in front of him. The gardens which stretched quite far into the distance, were the foreground to a cluster of tall, sharp mountain peaks that were probably snow covered in winter.

From the balcony he could look to his left and right. In both directions there were the edges of a city sloping out to the city walls which then flattened to meadows, some small towns he could see in the distance. But to his left, which was west, there looked to be a large dense forest far away bordering into what probably were cloud topped mountains again.

But what caught his eye in that direction were the **two** moons lazing in the sky. In his mind, it looked like something out of a well-detailed anime series. He was awe-struck by it.

He could see earth from the perspective of an astronaut or even better as he could see the moon as well! The world looked huge in the sky and so intricate with the seas, landmasses, and clouds in the atmosphere. If he hadn't been as weirded out as he was he would have taken pictures. The not shocked part of him made a mental note that it would make a cool desktop background.

Back inside the room was a fireplace which like everything else in the room was highly ornate and probably extremely expensive. And at the curve of the fireplace at the top was a dragon gilded into the metalwork. Mamoru was content in his own way to wander round the room examining all the lavish decorum of the room but he wasn't fully attentive. He was distracted by what had happened.

Not to say he was too worried, from what he remembered of his sister's tale Gaea was peaceful when she left and didn't seem to be at war at the moment as far as he could tell. If anything he was rather excited to be on another world, despite what had happened after Hitomi's return from Gaea.

He used a different door to the one he had entered by, suspecting it led to his parents' room. He opened the door and found his father sitting on the plush bed with a nervous expression on his face, not registering him entering the room. His mother however had been seated by the window to their room, her eyes roving over the landscape but not absorbing anything.

She turned to him and got up and pulled him close to her. "Mamoru! Where did you go? I opened the door to the room you were in and you weren't there! Don't frighten me!" Her voice trembled as she spoke, her eyes glassy.

"Kaa-chan, I was only looking around…"

"Yes but it's not safe!" She murmured worriedly.

"What do you mean it's not safe Kaa-chan? We're not in the dungeons by any means. You should come and see the sitting room and the view!" Mamoru replied slightly baffled as to why his mother felt unsafe here. Completely mystified and unsure of what was going on, fair enough. But unsafe?

"You're staying here with us tonight." His father finally woke from his reverie, "You and your mother will take the bed, I'll stay awake and keep watch."

"Keep watch? What for?" Mamoru was getting more and more confused by his parents' erratic behaviour, after all, Hitomi _had_ told them about Gaea. Nevertheless his mother agreed with his father's idea. He was rather tired though after the shock of the beam of light picking them up and planting them on another planet like something out of Star Trek. As well as the sudden proof of Hitomi's account of her time considered missing. So he nodded and laid down on the bed fully clothed, after kicking off his shoes in the room he had been given. He fell asleep rather quickly.

Haruka and Kenzo Kanzaki however were unable to sleep, still shell-shocked in the knowledge of where they were. Even more shocking was the fact that they had arrived on another world where their daughter had once been. Or rather where Hitomi _thought_ she had been in their eyes. It was real. Hitomi hadn't lied to them.

When Hitomi had reappeared after being missing for three days, wandering into the house as if she had just come from school, she received an almighty reaction from her angry, terrified, and finally relieved parents. Upon asking where in Buddha's name she was she replied she didn't know. Her parents who weren't very strict as there hadn't been a need for it came down on her like a ton of bricks, demanding to know where she had been.

Hitomi looked rather sad but made no angry response and was rather docile in replying that she was walking home from track practice one day and then couldn't remember anything. The next thing she could remember was finding herself in front of her house. To be fair, in hindsight she played the disorientated, and slightly frightened 'victim' of memory loss marvellously. Her parents were so shocked and taken in by her performance they didn't question her.

But a crack began to grow between them. Hitomi on one side, quietly suffering with what they thought was concern over suffering amnesia, and her parents and brother on the opposite side. They didn't know whether to question her tale, and why would she lie anyway? But Hitomi seemed so lost and they were unable to help her so they did nothing. They pretended it never happened. And so Hitomi became more and more isolated from them, not intentionally, but she could easily see how the atmosphere changed when she entered rooms. How they were on edge around her, wary of her, expecting her to suffer a mental breakdown in front of them.

Then things took a turn for the worst. She would scream the house down in the middle of the night; her family rushing in to stop her attacker. And each time they would find her sound asleep, writhing in the midst of a nightmare. Names would be yelled out, begging for help, wailing in despair. So the concerned family sent her to a counsellor.

The Kanzaki family believed that Hitomi had been tortured in some way in her three days missing and was starting to subconsciously remember. But the counsellor did not help as Hitomi became more distressed at night. So a psychiatrist was visited and that only put more strain on the damage between Hitomi and her family. The psychiatrist could tell Hitomi wasn't telling her or her family everything.

Hitomi was ready to fly apart at this time so she started to talk, discussing Gaea as if it were just a dream, aware that if she said it was real she would be put in a padded cell. And she felt relieved to have someone to talk to. But it didn't help. The psychiatrist told her parents she was suffering from delusions as dreams were never that vivid or grotesque. Hitomi must be making these ideas up and in extreme detail. Kenzo and Haruka asked their daughter where these _stories_ were coming from and arguments were started. Things got out of hand.

So imagine the shock after everything they had suffered with their daughter, turned out to be real. Kenzo Kanzaki was still unsure, his absolute logic shook to the core. Firmly focused on the question whether he was either mad or someone had slipped him an extreme dose of a hallucinogenic. The world he had lived on for 53 years had disappeared beneath his feet and he had landed on another planet apparently.

And people, a man whose name Hitomi had spoken in the past was real, was standing in front of him. His only concern was to get back to his sanity, sobriety; or if this was indeed real to get his family back home safely and as soon as possible.

* * *

Haruka Kanzaki was dumbstruck. From what she remembered of Hitomi's words, Gaea; where they now were, had been in the midst of a war. From the screams she had heard and the withdrawn, inexpressive girl Hitomi had become, Gaea was not somewhere she wanted her or her family to be. But a tiny voice, her conscience perhaps murmured gently,

_He's a King. Hitomi fell in love with a King. Her Prince Charming. _She smiled faintly at the thought that the man who had offered them a place to stay had been number one in Hitomi's heart.

Haruka was no romantic by any means. She had indeed once been a teenage girl with dreams of the perfect man who would sweep her off her feet and love her so powerfully. Kenzo had been a man that loved her which was enough and they had been happy with their two children growing up. Haruka held no ambitions to be famous or powerful or rich. Happy was all she wanted.

But Hitomi didn't fit in with that. A few months after her now acknowledged return from Gaea she had changed. No longer the happy go lucky child she had been, she was placid and thoughtful. Many parents would dream of having such a considerate child but it disturbed Haruka. Haruka could see in her daughter's eyes that she had witnessed something. Something bad, horrific even and it had altered her. But Hitomi wasn't talking and Haruka didn't know how to. So it led to what had happened.

Along with these thoughts flowing through her conscious, Haruka realised something. That if Hitomi had been with them still, she would have returned to Gaea. She would have seen the Fanelian King again. But she wasn't and she wouldn't be aware of this until they went back home. She would call her daughter the first chance she would get and talk to her.

Haruka resolved this instantly and more so to find out as much as she could about the people Hitomi must have loved so much she was saddened to be parted from them. That way Haruka could tell her daughter of them and give her messages from the people she must have cared about a great deal. With this change in attitude and sudden resolve, Haruka lay down beside her son and fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Mamoru awoke first and was surprised to find out where he was. The truth hit him like a sucker punch from a drunk man. He sat up and saw his mother curled up in the bed, her hands gripping the corner of the pillow. His father was still sitting in the chair by the window but had broken his promise to stay wide awake in case of 'danger.' What was he expecting? Ninja assassins to mistake them for royalty and kill them? Mamoru shook his head slightly and slid gingerly off the bed onto the floor.

He carefully opened the door to the room he had been given and rifled through his bag. He had thought about it before falling asleep and it had returned to him upon awakening immediately. Mamoru wanted to talk to his sister. Here they were on Gaea, with Van the man she talked about. And she was back on Earth none the wiser. It was cruel. So very cruel.

So he would ring her and tell her. And then pass the phone to Van. By the look on the man's face when they had appeared, he had not expected them. And he guessed that the two hadn't spoken in five/six years due to his sister's morose nature. The least he could do for his sister was to give her a chance to speak to the man she obviously cared for. He found his mobile tucked under his DS.

Sliding it out from under a pile of squashed clothes, he switched it on. He covered the speaker so the chiming sound wouldn't wake his parents. Unlike him, they seemed worried and even fearful to be on Gaea. He saw it as an opportunity. Who else aside from his sister could say they had been to another planet. Not those dumb NASA morons who kept failing to launch space probes. It would be exciting, like being in Final Fantasy or Dungeons and Dragons. Didn't Hitomi mention a robot mecha that was the shape of a dragon?

Mamoru shook his head. He wasn't here to gloat. He was going to call his sister and make amends.

The screen appeared before him and he hastily went through his contacts list for her number, scarily long as it was. He pressed the green button and held the phone to his ear, excitedly waiting for the dial tone and Hitomi's voice so he could tell her the good news! But nothing happened. No dial tone, no beeping, no answer machine or operator. He stared at the top left hand corner and it dawned on him.

There was no reception. Gaea from what he had caught was similar to Feudal times or even the beginning stages of the Industrial Revolution. There were no phone masts or satellites to provide phone service. He sighed and switched the phone off.

A short while later his parents woke and found him sitting cross-legged on the floor by his father's chair, staring out the window. It was only then Kenzo and Haruka Kanzaki truly looked out onto the mountains of Fanelia that naturally bordered the city and then they looked up. Being the only other people aside from their children to see this they were truly awed by the sight of the Earth so clear in the sky above them. The whole family stayed there watching the earth, taking in the sight that very few other people from earth had experienced. And they were seeing it for free.

They received all three and rather sumptuous meals in their sitting room that day. They talked little, still absorbing what was going on around them and where they were. Each in their own thoughts about their location, situation and most importantly Hitomi. Regret was one emotion they all shared.

That night Mamoru was allowed to sleep in the room he had been given separately, Hitomi's parents slept in theirs. It was not to say that they were happy, cheerful or comfortable with their surroundings. The word alien was suited for their circumstances but they had each recognized that they were there at the mercy of the Fanelian King. And that they would wait for him to approach them for questions to be given and answered.

* * *

Mamoru was comfortably playing on his Nintendo DS while lounging on what was probably the most comfortable sofa he had ever sat on. His phone switched on and flipped on the table in front of him if by any chance a signal would appear so he could call his sister.

His father was sat across from him, hands folded together, silent. Mentally preparing for the King to arrive.

Kenzo had spent the day previous in shock, which dissipated into regret at how he had acted towards his daughter. And now he wanted to talk. This man, a King apparently whose name Hitomi had cried out in her sleep, despairingly. How had he known her? His daughter had been fifteen, this Fanel boy better have treated her decently. But he couldn't exactly be rude to the man who had hospitably offered complete strangers lavish rooms and food for two days now.

He would have to be careful and at the same time expect to find out how he and his wife and son could return home.

Haruka however, was wandering about the room. She was amazed by the room that Mamoru had opened the door to yesterday evening. And in daylight it shone brightly. The various objects around the room captivated her. It was all so luxurious. She was in a palace, staying at a palace.

The Ritz in London had nothing on this.

She happily pottered around the room numerous times gazing at various objects, amazed at how intricate it was. The fireplace adorned with the Dragon was by far the most impressive object in the room, the carving looked to be made out of obsidian, was it supposed to be ironic? No fires had been lit recently as it was rather warm so it was spotless, but a palace naturally was spotless wasn't it?

Haruka was curious about more important subjects too. She wanted to know why they had been summoned from Earth. Had this Fanelian King been calling for Hitomi? She wanted to speak to him as well. Try to understand what had happened to her daughter whilst here that had made her friends with a King of all people.

All of a sudden footsteps were heard and not one person but a group. The Kanzaki family minus one looked towards the door. Kenzo paled considerably, Haruka walked briskly towards the sofa her husband sat on, joined him and ran her hands over her brown cropped hair, trying to make herself look as presentable as possible if indeed the King was coming to speak with them and with others from what they could hear.

"Mamoru, switch off your gameboy!" she murmured, worriedly. This man who they believed to be approaching them was a King and demanded respect, and that meant his full attention. Besides what if they thought it was a weapon?

"It's a Nintendo DS Kaa-chan," Mamoru dryly replied, though he too sounded slightly nervous at meeting a King of all people.

"Whatever it is switch it off!" His father ordered and Mamoru did so.

Van strode along the corridor with his friends in tow. He too was very interested in how Hitomi's parents and brother had suddenly appeared without any warning. He hadn't summoned them. Nor had he tried to summon Hitomi. There was no need. He would have to write to someone who understood this and ask them what could have caused it. But his focus was Hitomi's family. The situation would have to be explained to them as well as answering any questions they may have for him.

He hoped that the presence of his sister and four friends tagging along wouldn't frighten them any further. Though the servant who had been providing them with their meals the past two days had mentioned how wary they were the yesterday morning, but last night had been rather calm. So hopefully they wouldn't be as scared as they had been two nights' previous. He could feel his friends' anticipation at meeting not only more people from the Mystic Moon, but Hitomi's family.

They all were curious as to how she was and what she was doing. He hoped it wouldn't be long before they found out.

The two groups of people, both within the room and outside the door felt the suspense mount dramatically. And the door opened. Three sets of eyes stared at a young man who had slightly messy jet black hair and eyes that could only be described as wine coloured. He radiated authority and for a man who was only three or four years older than Mamoru he seemed to hold the knowledge and wisdom of someone twice his age.

Mamoru stood up, after watching anime with royalty in it, and bowed,

"Van-san. Thank you for allowing us to stay in your palace." Both his parents were shocked at how he had once again took their place in speaking to the Royal, and was rather polite in contrast to his usual behaviour. But it was the outburst of someone who had accompanied Van that shook everyone out of the staring contest they all seemed to be having.

"It's Van-sama actually." Mamoru noticed the _catty_ voice belonged to a girl who looked oddly like a cat. He stared at her, mouth agape. Van cleared his throat and murmured,

"It's alright Merle. They're not my subjects so they don't need to call me that." He then turned to his _guests_,

"Mr and Mrs Kanzaki, Mamoru-san. I would like to introduce you to my sister Merle." She was still glaring at the boy who was still staring at her, and not in a way she appreciated. Mystic moon people obviously had no manners.

"And these are friends of mine. This is Allen, his sister Celena, Dryden and Millerna, his wife. They all met Hitomi when she came to Gaea." Van gestured to each person as he mentioned them. The Kanzaki family seemed barely able to cope with the fact they were on another planet, let alone remember names and faces. Still he had been raised to be polite, and so he was.

"I've come to see you to discuss the nature of your visit and to answer any questions you may have. I hope we can help you as your daughter and sister," " he nodded to Mamoru, "helped us." He articulated. Mamoru this time did not reply as he was still staring at the girl who he had now noticed had a tail, flicking behind her dress.

So Haruka managed to respond, "Of course Your Majesty. We would be very grateful for that, and thank you deeply for allowing us to stay the past few days." She had immediately noticed the amount of people the young King had brought with him so she turned to her son and said,

"Mamoru come and sit with us so everyone can sit down." Mamoru heard his mother's words and managed to tear his eyes away from the girl who was far better than any cosplayer he had ever seen.

Picking up his DS and flipping his phone shut, he walked round the table to sit beside her.

Van noticed how Hitomi's mother wanted her son to sit next to her. She may have seemed placid and friendly but she was still unsure of where she was. Mamoru's move from one sofa to another set everyone else in the room moving. Haruka and Kenzo shuffled along to sit him in between them. Allen, Celena, Millerna, and Dryden sat opposite the Kanzaki family.

Finally Van sat down on the sofa that was next to the Kanzaki's, sitting in the nearest seat to them. Merle joined him, her eyes narrowed slightly at Hitomi's brother, so he prodded her side gently to make her aware that her staring at him wasn't going to make him any more uneasy than he already was.

But it had been Mamoru who had spoken to him twice in place of his parents, so maybe he was adapting to where he was faster than his parents; perhaps his bond with Hitomi was stronger. That Hitomi had told him more about her time here.

The atmosphere in the room was tense enough with just the Kanzaki family, having no idea how they ended up on another planet, and another planet that they hadn't believed in until _even_ a few hours previous for some of them. Van had expected a barrage of questions to come from them. But they sat there observing the people that had joined them.

To everyone's surprise it was Celena who spoke up, her hatred of silences well-known and asked,

"How is Hitomi, Mr and Mrs Kanzaki? Is she well?" The Kanzaki family minus one turned their attention onto the pale blonde haired girl who seemed rather frail in appearance, but her eyes too seemed to be slightly wistful, if not downright sad.

Mamoru who had finally stopped staring at Merle's ears trying to guess whether they were battery operated, cleared his throat and said in a remorseful voice,

"We don't know."

The majority of the people shuffled curiously, their gazes clearly questioning _what do you mean you don't know._ Which was then voiced by someone who had immediately taken a dislike to the boy or perhaps all Mystic Moon teens upon first meeting them,

"Why don't you know? Where is she?" as well as being curious, Merle felt angry. Hitomi's family had appeared and Merle dared to hope that they could give Van something to smile about but here they were not knowing about their daughter. Van remained calm and silent.

"She left Japan, the country where we live to go to another, Italy almost a year ago. We haven't really heard from her." Haruka explained, but the strain in her voice hinted that the Kanzaki family were hiding something.

"So that's why she isn't with you?" the brown haired bespectacled man asked, almost rhetorically.

He was taken over by Merle who asked,

"Can you contact her? Hitomi received a message from someone whilst she was here. Didn't she Van-sama?" she looked for confirmation, and he nodded. Merle could tell from her adopted brother's posture that he didn't appear shocked by Hitomi's family's revelation. In fact he didn't seem to pay any attention to it.

It had taken a few minutes for Kenzo to take it what was being said, though little had been explained to them. If anything they were more interested in Hitomi and where she was. His main thought was how to get home. So he mustered his courage, ignoring the previous question and asked,

"Your Majesty. We are very grateful for your having let us stay here for the past two days. Not that we haven't appreciated your hospitality but I would be most grateful if you could help us to get back home."

Mamoru stilled at his father's words. Why was he in such a rush to leave? Why did he seem so afraid of being on another planet? It was a free holiday for crying out loud! And way better than visiting Tokyo for a few days. Aside from his remorse over the dealio with his sister, a tiny cheeky voice spoke up about wanting to see the Guymelefs. Real life Gundam!

Haruka too was shocked by her husband's words. Indeed they would have to get home at some point, but what about their daughter? After everything she had gone through, the least they could do would be to ask her friends how they were and what messages they had for Hitomi before leaving. And it was quite rude of him to cut across the young woman's question.

She didn't want to offend these people who obviously wanted to know about their daughter. So she ignored her husband and replied to the young lady, who albeit looked like a cat, seemed interested about Hitomi.

"My son, Mamoru has a mobile phone which he can contact Hitomi with. Hopefully we can reach her for you."

All eyes turned to Mamoru, and it felt more nerve-wracking than getting caught listening to Linkin Park in maths and having to write on the board in punishment. He nodded and flipped open his phone which chirruped to life, surprising and fascinating the Gaean inhabitants of the room. He looked at Van, the man who was supposedly Hitomi's love-interest in some way and yet he had not seemed disappointed by their news.

Gingerly he addressed him, "I tried it before and it didn't work, but maybe it will this time." He smiled and tried to sound hopeful, aware of his father's rudeness and wanting to rectify it. But he instinctively thought it was impossible due to his earlier try and the assumed absence of phone masts in the country.

He pressed buttons on this shiny, silver communications device which looked so alien to Merle and the others, because it was. Mamoru flicked down his contacts list to Hitomi's number which had added digits for the Italian network. He inwardly sighed and pressed the dial button. To his surprise and of course the people from Gaea, a loud ringing noise started.

Merle leaned forward slightly to witness what was happening. Celena had grabbed her brother's hand, in slight worry as to what the device in Hitomi's brother's hand would do. Allen too seemed slightly wary of it and squeezed back, both sets of eyes on the device in front of them. Dryden looked at the silver gadget in the boy's hand and assumed it would be similar in someway to the communications devices in Guymelefs in that it would produce a line of communication for them to speak to Hitomi and for her to respond.

But the focus of attention switched from the LGKP235 to the pink beam of light that appeared from the red shard on the chain around Van's neck. He reached up and felt the pendant glow as the beam spread out into a projection as it were. All eyes focused on the projection as a fuzzy image started to appear and speak. It was an image of a young woman sitting crossed legged, with a shadowy figure sitting behind her, both seemingly oblivious that they had appeared on the table in front of the nine people sitting round it.

_Four_ people in the room recognized the girl apparently sitting crossed legged on the table. The others watched unaware, but all were enraptured by what was taking place. The woman in the projection started to speak.

"Afternoon_ Shi! How are you on this glorious fine day?" _She cheekily grinned in Van's direction at whomever she was talking to and the people in the room heard a male growl in response,

"_Piss off!"_ The girl laughed gently and replied mockingly,

"_Awww, are you not feeling well?"_

The male voice who was outside of the projection murmured, _"You know damn well Hitomi, how shit I'm feeling this morning,"_ the other five occupants of the room gasped in amazement at who they were staring at. Her outline was slightly misty but her features were clear enough albeit pink in the light of the projection.

"_Afternoon," _she happily corrected, _"Well _breakfast_ is ready for you," _Hitomi gestured in front of her and there was a growl from the man who was apparently sitting opposite her but out of focus.

"_Thanks. You're not that mean after all." _

The honey haired woman nodded, smiling gently, then turned slightly and her head yanked back towards Van,

"_Oww."_ Her male companion paid no attention so she asked, _"Can you hear that?"_ To which the room heard a muffled reply of,

"_What?"_ As the man was apparently eating his food. Hitomi sighed, rolling her eyes,

"_That," _she deadpanned, _"I think my phone's ringing. Can you get it please?"_ She placed her hands together as if in prayer, her eyes pleading, and received a sleepy reply.

"_Why can't you get it?"_ Hitomi pointed with both hands behind her, and a third, female voice answered,

"_I'm braiding her hair moron. Now go answer the bloody thing! You're not the only one with a headache."_ Hitomi smirked slightly in response to the female's comment. But before she could ask the male again to get her phone, he yelled out,

"_AMANO! Get Hitomi's phone!!!!"_

"_He left, this _morning_, to check on the new house."_

The male grumbled at her response and replied stubbornly, _"Could have said so. I wouldn't have shouted and made my head worse. Why aren't you like us this morning anyway?"_ Hitomi grinned at her friend's comment and benignly replied,

"_Because my friend, I know when I've had enough."_ The male voice scoffed,

"_That's the point Mimi, you're not supposed to know when you've had enough. So you keep drinking until you realise how shit-faced you are and then you decide you've had enough."_

Hitomi scoffed back at the comment and retorted, _"No, that's just your ridiculous reason for getting so drunk. I like being of sound mind, thank you. Makes your drunken antics far more entertaining. And will you answer the phone!" _She ended sharply. The male voice continued nonchalantly,

"_Meh. It's far funnier when you're drunk actually. And you can get it afterwards."_ He referred to the phone,_ "It's probably one of the boys ringing to gossip about nothing as they do every other week. You can call them back later. I want to eat breakfast."_

"_And I want my headache to go away!"_ The other female replied threateningly, _"Pick up the damn thing, I'm as hungover as you."_

* * *

The people in the room sat in shock as Mamoru's phone cut off and another tone started saying the number was unavailable, and at the same time the projection from Van's pendant vanished. Van held his hand up to the pendant around his neck in wonder at what they had just seen. Of course it was Merle who broke the silence,

"What was that!?" A sentiment shared by eight people in that room, despite all being shocked by what had occurred.

* * *

Character Guide:

**Takeshi Manabe** (Shi) – friend, housemate and older-brother figure to Hitomi. Dark hair, hazel eyes, tanned, 6ft 1. His brother is the Daimyo (feudal lord) of the Mystic Valley. Is capable of seeing and reading auras and possibly hypnosis.

**Satsuki Haneul** (Kiki) – friend, housemate and older-sister figure to Hitomi. Blonde hair, grey eyes, 5ft 7. Is cousins with Takeshi and his brother. Has a four year old daughter Mayu. Mother is a mystic and her brother is Takeshi and Kakeru's father. Is a fortune-teller via palmistry and viewed as a sorceress by the outside world.

**Ryuu** – A grandfather figure to Hitomi, Satsuki, Takeshi, and Amano. Is a powerful sorcerer, who is training Takeshi, Satsuki and Hitomi to develop their gifts. Grey cropped hair, green eyes, 5ft 7.

**Kakeru Manabe** – older brother to Takeshi, and older brother figure to Hitomi. Dark hair, brown eyes, 5ft 11. Wishes to formally adopt Hitomi into his clan. Daimyo of the Mystic Valley. Wife – Hana is pregnant with their first child.

A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope the guide helps, although I can't give away too much or I'll ruin the plot. Any questions please feel free to ask, it's what I'm here for. Opinions too are what I crave!!!! Let me know what you think! Let us pray to Escaflowne that reviews are numerous and informative to the author!

See you all next time!!!

Sina xx


	4. Moru the Explorer and The Painting

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A/N: Okay major apologies are due to EVERYONE! Here's my poor – so don't accept it if you feel it's too poor – explanation about why everything's so confusing. I've had this plot in my head for ages so I know where everyone is and where everything's going. So I write it in that way. I completely regret confusing everyone.

But here, the explanations start and probably cause more confusion, I'm not giving everything away! Lol.

**SORRY IT TOOK SOOOO LONG! My internet kept not working all the past week.**

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Shai – I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I promised and failed to deliver.

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This chapter or part of it was inspired by the Naruto 3rd opening song _**Kanashimi wo Yasashisa Ni**_ by Tasuka (Super Junior as well is a definite motivator for _someone's_ sneakiness in 4.5).

And it was my birthday last week!! So Birthday present reviews please!!

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Thanks to everyone who read, especially those who reviewed below:

CrossXFire – explanations begin!

Mysisterisasquijum – I love Mamoru too! And he's going to hate when batteries die out!

Draconian Kitten – seriously 4.5 will give you your wish!! Promise!

Inda – No things aren't right, but they will be righted!

Blackstrawberry – thanks!

Thepinkmartini – Amano's not very very important, just someone to help things along.

InLuvWidVan – Apologies apologies it's sooo late! Forgive me! Lady? Me? nah

LilDinky – aww compliments, compliments!

Jav-chan – thanks for the advice, compliments and I'm SO not a trekkie!

ladysquall

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Last time:

_The people in the room sat in shock as Mamoru's phone cut off and another tone started saying the number was unavailable, and at the same time the projection from Van's pendant vanished. Van held his hand up to the pendant around his neck in wonder at what they had just seen. Of course it was Merle who broke the silence,_

"_What was that!?" A sentiment shared by eight people in that room, despite all being shocked by what had occurred._

Chapter 4: Moru the Explorer and The Painting Revelations

Van reached up and touched his pendant which felt warm against his skin and the shirt slightly covering it, even though the projection had shone through it.

Millerna noticed that for the first time since their entering the room, Van looked shocked.

She knew how capable he was of controlling his emotions, but Hitomi and subjects in relation to her opened him up, slightly more than he normally was. And yet he had listened to her mother and brother state clearly they had no idea how she was and he had not responded with sadness or anger about the woman he loved.

Millerna started to worry.

Had something happened between Van and Hitomi, despite his assertion that they hadn't seen each other in years? What was Van hiding?

"That was Hitomi. I think…" Mamoru trailed off. He too was stunned by what had just occurred. For the first time in the entire conversation Van spoke up,

"Do you think you could do that again?" Millerna relaxed slightly as he finally seemed to participate in the conversation.

He _was_ still in love with Hitomi and had probably just been in shock at her parents' revelation that they hadn't spoken to her or seen her in a year.

Here he was hoping for news of his beloved, as she had whilst Dryden had recklessly ventured off the Zaibach to help with the relief effort encountering all possible dangers, and there was none of him for months.

She sighed, feeling her fellow monarch's pain. Even though she had only lost her mother at a young age, she still had two older sisters to enwrap her in a cocoon safe from the harsh world of the court as well as her father.

There was no real responsibility per say to rest upon her shoulders and no traumas had affected her like the ones conferred upon Van.

But she could sympathise, anyone in a high position of royalty with common sense could see that people around you were out for power and true friends were few and far between.

Thus anyone who treated you like you were average stabilised you and what's more average than being slapped.

In Millerna's eyes Van truly loved Hitomi and unlike her slightly moronic husband she had never attempted to set up Van with anyone in the firm belief that he and the seeress from another world would eventually get together.

Even though she had at first had no feelings aside from apathy for her husband, she had fallen in love with Dryden after getting to know him.

Whereas Van and Hitomi, well that was the ultimate love story wasn't it?

She had read many epics about the nobleman and the peasant girl fall madly in love and live perfectly together despite class differences and those who were unhappy about the match. Not that she viewed Hitomi as a peasant but she _was_ from another world and yet she and Van had formed a bond that held strong throughout everything that had happened during the war.

Millerna smiled to herself at such thoughts.

She may seem severe and realistic as a Queen was supposed to but she still remembered the romance fuelled teen that wanted a knight, specifically one with long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, to ride into the palace and sweep her off her feet and into the sunset. She dearly loved her husband but theirs had been a political marriage.

She hoped for her friend; who had suffered much hardship, would get the fairytale ending he surely deserved.

* * *

She looked across from herself at the young man who was Hitomi's brother.

Out of all three members of Hitomi's family he seemed the most comfortable with his surroundings or least wary of the situation.

Hitomi's mother didn't seem to be afraid or worried about being on a different planet but remorseful about something concerning her daughter. She noticed out of the corner of her eyes Dryden smirking slightly. Not something anyone else would notice but as his wife and mother to his future children she could see it.

He was smirking in the direction of Hitomi's father.

And Millerna could see why.

Kenzo Kanzaki had outright asked for a way to get home completely ignoring any sort of pleasantry or attempt at being sociable. He seemed completely incapable of paying attention to anything aside from returning to the Mystic Moon.

Millerna wondered what could have swayed him so badly against Gaea and the people in the room from his daughter's account of her time here.

Millerna was curious, as she had been party to a dysfunctional family and here too she could sense a rupture somewhere. Perhaps due to Hitomi having left her home country to move to another?

And what had caused this?

She inwardly sighed. She had been looking forward to seeing her old friend whom she saw as a protégé in some rights as Hitomi would have to be taught the way of royalty leading up to her becoming Queen of Fanelia, and who better a candidate than her.

But she wasn't here. That was probably why Van was so quiet. After the boundless hope and solid expectation that the pillar of light had brought his one true love, he had found the Kanzaki family minus one.

* * *

Mamoru Kanzaki looked at Van Fanel. He saw the fraught hope in his eyes to make any form of contact with his sister.

Even though he was happy to be in his own version of Middle Earth without the hobbits, but apparently with catgirl(s); he felt guilty that he was here in place of his sister who deserved it far more than him and had unfoundingly stuck to her belief in another world only she had been to.

So he was going to make it up to her.

After everything they had done and everything that had happened in their home he felt he had a duty to give her some form of message from Van. Either in a phone call or a video of him. _He_ wouldn't even look at it. It would be completely hers. Then a thought struck him.

"Your Majesty!" Mamoru almost cried out.

Everyone turned to look at him, their eyes moving away from the table top upon which the apparition had appeared, still in shock and surprise at their sudden vision of Hitomi. Mamoru had a light in his eyes smiling broadly as if Hitomi had said she was in Fanelia itself.

"Yes, Mamoru-san?" Van asked, wondering if it could happen again. No matter what he had strategized, he still hadn't seen her in over five years, no matter how near or far she was.

And he wanted to see how she had changed and how she hadn't hopefully. Not even a still image was enough any more. He wanted to see her in real life. He saw Mamoru smiling, hopefully the previous event could be repeated.

"Your Majesty, I'm not sure if I can cause what just happened again _but_ I can show you a moving image of Hitomi talking. It's called a video." He paused,

"Maybe because it's of Hitomi the pendant will react to it and project it once again. If not I can show it to you on the screen here though it's a bit small."

* * *

Merle's eyes were focused on the silver box in the boy's hand. Even though he was Hitomi's younger brother, he had stared at her as if she was weird. Well so was he, but he apparently was useful as he in tandem with Hitomi's/Van's pendant had produced some sort of vision showing Hitomi and a rather hungover male voice.

Whomever she was talking to better not look at her in a way that wasn't platonic, she was Van's and Merle was adamant on enforcing that fact.

Merle being feline sensed quite early on during the Destiny war that Van and Hitomi were a prospective and then certainly a couple in some ways though she didn't say it aloud as it sounded oppressive to her at first but not now by any means. Hopefully Hitomi's brother could help Van in reaching Hitomi in some way to bring her back.

Merle firmly saw herself as Van's sister and nothing more, thus she wanted to make sure her older brother was happy and his happiness would be caused by being with Hitomi.

Therefore Hitomi was needed on Gaea to make Van happy. Simple.

Mamoru gestured at Van's and formally his sister's pendant and murmured,

"Perhaps if you hold it out and I play the video I have on my phone, it'll be projected?" Van nodded slightly curious as to what this video would do and what it would show of Hitomi. He placed the chain over his shirt and held the chain so it hung out in front of him closer to Mamoru's device.

But before anything could happen, Kenzo spoke up, again rather gruffly.

"What video's this Mamoru?" He seemed rather accusatory and Haruka picked up on her husband's intent. As far as he saw it, these people were strangers and had no right to see his daughter in any form of communication.

* * *

Haruka could sense how Kenzo was blaming these people for what had happened to their family.

She could read his process of what he saw as _logical thought_.

If Hitomi had never arrived here and witnessed the apparent horrors she did, then their family would have been happy.

So his blame was placed firmly in the hands of the people around them as if they had personally tortured their daughter. Therefore they had no right to watch a video of his daughter. She heard her son respond rather forcefully, sounding slightly angry with his father for his attitude,

"It's a video she made before she left Japan tou-san." He turned to Van and the others, "I've never watched it, I had no reason to but perhaps this is an appropriate time." He ended, his tone almost baiting his father.

Van could only nod, unsure of what this _video_ would show him of Hitomi, he just wanted to see her after all this time and such a long wait. Mamoru pressed a few buttons on his LG phone and a crackling sound emerged.

Van's pendant glowed slightly and started to flicker. Mamoru smiled and turned the volume as loud as he could as a pink glow surrounded his phone and once more a projection of a young woman appeared on the table in front of the group.

She appeared to be sitting on a ledge of some sort looking out a window, though the background was fuzzy as before. The focus of the projection was slightly wobbly as it was a film clip. Then a voice spoke, the same male voice from the last projection.

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"_Yo Mimi!" the girl turned towards the camera, wearing a red spaghetti top and black cotton pants that fell to mid-calf. Her hair was up in a messy bun this time, she and her surroundings still tinted pink in the glow of the pendant._

"_Yea?" she looked straight into the camera, facing Van once more. She smiled and waved._

"_So Mimi who are you gonna say goodbye to?" the voice exclaimed. "A-man's knocked out in our room so it's your turn!"_

_Hitomi grinned,_

"_Well," she gestured to the fuzzy view behind her, "This is our last night in Tokyo before we go back to Osaka and then leave for real." She smiled sadly,_

"_Kabuki-cho was amazing!" the male voice pitched in elatedly._

_Hitomi rolled her eyes, addressing the person behind the camera sarcastically,_

"_Of course you had to visit the sex district." The camera shook slightly as its holder shrugged and chortled, then accused,_

"_What? It's a tourist attraction too! You had to go to Harajuku!" Hitomi rolled her eyes,_

"_Please! You happily admired the goth-loli outfits and you know it!" She smiled directly into the camera once again,_

"_We loved being here with you guys before we depart." She paused and then smiled a bit more brightly, remembering,_

"_H, you are an awesome friend, mother-hen, or should that be father hen? And an amazing fashionista!" she put her thumbs up to the camera, "I know you won't, __but__ don't take shit from anyone k?"_

"_Psh, like anyone would try." The male voice retorted. Hitomi stuck out her tongue and then grinned again,_

"_Hiro, you are the best fake boyfriend a girl could ask for and you and H make a wonderful couple." The male laughed and then approached Hitomi closer and the camera swung round as he sat next to her and held the camera out in front of him, grinning cheekily,_

"_Yep! You two will make loads of money and adopt more children than Angelina and Madonna put together! And remember to name one after me yeah?" Hitomi laughed and hit the dark haired man who pouted comically. "And I'll definitely miss how you rein Mimi's violent rampages in."_

_Hitomi glared,_

"_I do not rampage Takeshi." He shrugged and nudged her faintly, looking slightly more serious, _

"_Is there anyone else you wanna say bye to…?" he trailed off, trying to appear nonchalant but failing. Hitomi sobered slightly,_

"_Yea." She cleared her throat and looked directly at the camera again,_

"_Hiro, if you ever feel the crazy impulse to hand this over to my family as they probably won't come and see me before we leave then…" Hitomi averted her gaze and Takeshi put his other arm around her shoulder,_

"_Go on." Hitomi nodded and took a deep breath, before smiling broadly again at the camera,_

"_Kaa-chan, tou-san. Umm, I know we haven't spoken in three years, and I've only done it out of respect for you." She frowned slightly._

"_If you do get this and decide to watch it then I just want to say I love you. I know we've had our problems and I apologise for causing difficulties. I may never come back to Japan so I hope in time you can let go of your anger towards me and think of happier times." _

_She paused again, faltering slightly._

"_Little brother," _at this Mamoru sat up straighter, attentive to his sister's message,

_She smiled sadly at the camera unable to keep up the façade,_

"_Moru the explorer, like Dora," she smiled._

_She murmured gently, remorsefully, "You used to love playing treasure hunt, remember?" her eyes hazy in reminiscing, "And the time you thought I'd hid your Pokédex when I actually broke it by mistake. Anyway, look after mum and dad for me, yeah? I know right now you probably hate me and don't want to listen to me in any form but I still love you. Whether or not you care I still hope that you'll have an incredible job as a CSI guy or a mangaka or one of those Nintendo game testers." She smiled again lovingly,_

"_Just have a wonderful life and take every opportunity that's given to you." She paused. "Out of everyone you're the most likely to watch this. So look after yourself alright? Big sis says so!" She smiled brightly once more and then nudged the male with her,_

"_Shi, how much time left?" _

"_Meh, less than a minute." He shrugged in response, she nodded,_

"_Okay well that's it from me everyone. Love you all! Bai bai!" she waved at the camera and Takeshi grinned and waved,_

"_We'll come back and gloat on how rich and famous we are!" Hitomi laughed and murmured humorously,_

"_Idiot." _

_They both grinned at the camera and waving they said in unison,_

"_O-yasumi!"_

* * *

The image flickered and the projection dissipated as before. The room wasn't as silent as the last time the projection had ended.

Kenzo Kanzaki looked distressed and strangely slightly offended. Mamoru next to him looked guilty. And Haruka Kanzaki looked distraught, tears openly running down her face.

The Gaean occupants of the room had shifted slightly in their perspective.

Van _was_ silent as before, but he looked annoyed by the revelation that had just appeared on screen.

It was of Hitomi apparently a year ago who had stated clearly that she had had no contact with her family for three years and suggested her brother hated her.

Merle, thinking of the same things, was seriously angry, enough to turn the boy who _hated Hitomi_ into her new scratching post.

Why had her family shunned her? What on Gaea had happened? Allen had a sneaking suspicion Hitomi's time in Gaea had something to do with her family's now evident rift. Celena felt reflective as she too had been separated from her family for a long time, though not by choice and for the most part was unaware of it. Millerna and Dryden, although shocked were both watching the Kanzaki family for an explanation and Van as to how he would respond.

Van was known for standing up for things he believed in and protecting people he cared for and respected. In most people's eyes Fanelia and Hitomi tied joint first place so the atmosphere gained in tension slightly as some expected Van to go ballistic. Even the Kanzaki family did not like the look on his face.

Merle was beaten to the judge's seat by Allen who asked as politely as possible,

"Mr. and Mrs. Kanzaki, if you wouldn't mind, please…we would be entirely grateful to receive an explanation as to your daughter's words. We care a great deal for Hitomi as she performed an immense task and helped us all without hesistation…"

Merle who respected Allen for taking care of his sister and defending her so resolutely, was aggravated that he was being overly kind to the Kanzaki family minus one, and stepped in,

"Why weren't you speaking to Hitomi?" she bluntly asked.

In any other circumstances, the other occupants of the room who knew Merle well would have cringed slightly at her rather frank manner.

But they too were frantic for news of Hitomi and in meeting her parents, it turned out that they hadn't spoken to her in what would now be four years. Even though Allen and Merle's goal was the same, Merle simply wanted answers rather than gratitude for being respectful towards their guests.

* * *

Haruka Kanzaki who had stopped sobbing heavily, a tear still escaping every now and then cleared her throat after the emotional revelation from her daughter, spoke up.

"Hitomi…Hitomi…was such a bright and happy child. But when she returned from what we now realise was Gaea she was different. She was pensive and serious. It frightened me." Her husband took his wife's breath space to clarify,

"She had been missing for three whole days and walked in the door as if nothing had happened. We thought she had been kidnapped and drugged as she said she couldn't remember a thing. But then the dreams started." He voice became angrier, an almost accusing tone,

"She started having nightmares. She would scream the house down, crying out people's names, wailing for something to stop." He turned to stare at Van, angrily,

"You people, and your world changed my daughter. You gave her nightmares and made her cry in her sleep to the horrors she was reliving." He finished, apparently having explained why they hadn't spoken.

Once again it was Mamoru who properly explained the situation calmly, but with remorse as well,

"Hitomi went to see a doctor about her nightmares. She told them about her time on Gaea but said it was simply dreams."

"She never said she had gone to another planet as no one would have believed her. Our world has no idea that Gaea exists." He clarified. He went on to continue but his mother started up again,

"She saw different doctors, and we hoped they would cure her."

"Of what?" Merle caustically asked, starting to feel very angry towards the Kanzaki family.

"Of the night terrors she had, only we didn't know they were real," she practically pleaded, guilt wracking her voice, "After the third psychiatrist she went to, Hitomi said she didn't want to go anymore. She said that they weren't going to help at all."

"So why did you stop talking Mrs. Kanzaki?" Van once again joined the fray of conversation, looking worried about how distressed Hitomi had apparently been after leaving Gaea. His addressee looked pale, the colour draining from her face,

"We didn't know!" she wailed, "We had no idea it was real!" She burst into tears once again and Mamoru grabbed his mother's hand out of sympathy, he too sharing the guilty burden concerning their missing family member.

"If you could please explain why you haven't spoken in three years?" Allen asked, more abruptly this time,

"Four." Dryden murmured cutting across his friend, who gazed quizzically in reply,

"If Hitomi left her homeland a year ago, when this video was produced, then it's been four years since they've spoken. Am I correct?" he asked quietly, and unassumedly. The entire Kanzaki family nodded in sync, guilt across each face along with other emotions that were less obvious. Haruka took a shuddering breath as she began to speak.

"Hitomi refused to go to any more doctors saying there was nothing wrong with her."

"There _**was**_ nothing wrong with her!" Merle retorted, completely ignoring the respect that one would give an elder person. Merle was starting to get very angry about the situation.

Van could have almost predicted that Mamoru would be the one to snap back at her, not only to protect his mother but also because of Merle being Merle and her overly confrontational manner.

"WE KNOW THAT NOW!" he yelled, losing his temper. Haruka placed her hand on his arm to calm him and he continued in a quiet, more subdued voice,

"At the time Hitomi acted so strange and so out of it we got scared. The doctors said there was nothing wrong with her physically or mentally. But she kept acting strange and her screams at night kept happening. We…we thought that she was taking drugs," his gaze on the floor, ashamed.

A collective gasp occurred among the Gaean occupants of the room, fully aware of what drugs were having their own variants of Opium here. Mamoru sighed painfully and soldiered on,

"She behaved so out of it and dazed all the time we just naturally thought that. So we demanded for her to stop taking whatever it was she was taking and she denied it. We thought she was in a phase of paranoia from drug abuse and was in denial as well. So…" he faltered.

Mamoru Kanzaki began to cry for the first time since he was a child watching Bambi's mother die. He grieved for the pain he had caused his sister as well as the suffering she had gone through alone without anyone to help her.

Kenzo watched his son break down and he too felt sorrowful for behaving in the way he had to his daughter. These people obviously weren't going to let him leave so he would have to explain to them what had happened.

He drew a breath and took over from Mamoru,

"We believed that Hitomi was taking and abusing some sort of illegal substance. She kept firmly denying it so we gave her an ultimatum. We told her that if she kept denying it and acting the way she was she'd have to leave."

"What do you mean by leave, Kanzaki-san?" Van queried in a rather calm tone, but Merle could sense the anger radiating from him.

* * *

Van indeed was angry.

He had let the woman he loved go back to her _home_ and she had been mistreated by her family, the people she desperately wanted to return to whilst she was on Gaea with him.

Kenzo Kanzaki had no inkling of the young monarch's anger and umbrage towards him, so he carried on, regretfully.

"Well, your Majesty…we told her to stop what we thought was her taking drugs or she would have to leave the house." He looked at Van directly, answering his question and saw the anger clearly in his eyes.

He faltered,

"We never meant to carry it out but she didn't change or make any effort to do so."

"So you threw her out on the streets, rather than trying to help her even though you believed she was taking drugs?" Van's question was clearly rhetorical but there was an underlying challenge to answer him. It was Mamoru who once again stepped in to provide his father support.

"Your Majesty, we didn't throw her out. In the end she left of her own accord. She went to stay with friends of hers." Mamoru hoped to pacify him in the hope of getting him to communicate with his sister, and secretly hoping to watch the Guymelef things in action.

Hitomi had said they were like Gundam mechas in a way or Evangelion. But his main priority was his sister and her happiness, which meant appeasing Van.

Millerna for the first time joined the conversation, slightly worried by the facial expressions of the Kanzaki family minus one,

"If Hitomi left by her own choice Kanzaki-san, then why have you not had any contact with her for three…"

"Four," her husband corrected her, and she rolled her eyes slightly,

"…yes four years then?"

"Because we felt she had fallen in with a bad crowd. The people she went to live with were unsavoury people. We thought they were drug dealers."

"So why didn't you try and help her? If you thought they were only making her situation worse why didn't you commit her to a hospital or something?" Van argued irritably, angry at the logic of Hitomi's father.

* * *

The Kanzaki family minus one sat in silence.

They already were remorseful once they had gotten over the shock of being on Gaea and accepting that it was real. What was harder to accept was how badly they had treated their only daughter/sister.

No member of the trio wanted to admit the truth as to why they had scorned Hitomi for three years.

Pride.

The fact that they saw Hitomi as a potential drug/solvent/something illegal addict shamed them.

Soon enough people noticed the change in her behaviour and in a local community it was soon widely _known_ there was something wrong with the Kanzaki girl.

Then Hitomi leaving her family home to go and live with friends only fuelled the gossip pyres. Was she an addict of some drug, and had moved in with her dealer?

No, no it wasn't her dealer, it was her pimp who then allowed her to buy drugs from the money he gave her. The rumours went round and round the community becoming more and more scandalous each rotation.

And yet Hitomi paid them no consideration. She carried on with life.

* * *

Haruka began to cry once again, but her voice was affected by her crying, her voice small but loud enough for everyone in the room as she painfully lamented,

"She…she…she would send birthday cards every year." A loud sob exhaled her throat,

"She bought Christmas presents for us every year and we threw them out. Even though she had a small income she still tried, tried to reach out to us. And we treated her so badly. Why? WHY?" she cried out, openly sobbing as Mamoru put his arms round his mother in comfort.

Van looked at the Kanzaki family minus one and realized that he did not need to condemn them for what they had done as they were doing it perfectly well themselves.

He tapped Merle's wrist to prevent her from exploding on them.

He took a deep breath. Even though he acknowledged the Kanzakis were angry with their own actions and highly upset, he too was irate with them.

In his eyes, he had let Hitomi go, back to her family and the Mystic Moon where surely life was much safer and less turbulent than his own war-torn planet at the time. But he was wrong. Even from what he knew of Hitomi's life since she had first left Gaea, he had had no clue of this.

He shook his head and decided to speak.

"Mr and Mrs Kanzaki, Mamoru-san. I appreciate your honesty with us and although it hasn't been pleasing I am obliged to you for any news of your daughter. I loved Hitomi and I still do." Any tension in the room towards the Kanzakis was forgotten as Van announced his feelings openly, which was a rare event indeed.

"She is the woman I intend to make my wife and Queen of Fanelia." He ended. Inwardly he was slightly shocked at his own openness but at least he was paving the way for his preparations.

The Gaean occupants of the room, despite the current unhappy atmosphere brightened slightly at Van's admission of his own feelings.

If he could admit out loud how he felt _and_ his intentions towards the green-eyed seeress then surely it was only a matter of time before he gained the courage to go to her and admit said feelings. The Kanzaki family however weren't as jubilant about this revelation, mostly due to their guilt and grief towards Hitomi.

The silence purveyed in the room.

* * *

Hitomi stretched her arms up to the sky, her t-shirt riding up slightly as she reached skywards, yawning loudly, smiling at the view.

From the back of the shrine where they had their own little garden and personal washing lines that weren't for the shrine itself, there was a clear view down the valleys, past the next mountain tops and down onto the plains of what Hitomi knew to be Fanelia.

Some days it was torturous being in Van's backyard as it was, him having no clue she was only a few miles to the east of him.

She could even see part of the palace that wasn't surrounded by trees or overshadowed by the city walls.

On other days Hitomi could smile at the fact there was only a short distance between them, following her thought through with the conclusion that with such a short expanse between them, surely soon enough she would be able to see him.

Ignoring the fact that it had been nine months since she had arrived and she still hadn't been allowed to leave.

She smiled at the idea she would see him soon, sending her thought out that he would be happy – but not happy, married with three perfect children _happy­_ – giving her no reason to have spent the past five years how she had.

She shook her head and was about to go back to putting up the washing when a finger poked her bare stomach. She whirled round to see her now going blonde best friend and father figure compared to Takeshi's younger brother antics.

"Amano," she smiled, poking him back on his shoulder, watching him smile at her. "What's up?" she asked genially, turning away from the view she had been fixated on for the past few minutes. He smiled back and shrugged, ruffling his short hair,

"Nothing much, just came back for lunch. Kiki said you were out here." He looked from her to the view she now had her back to.

"Missing him huh?" he asked cautiously, knowing that Van Fanel could be a touchy subject around Hitomi, who he saw as his little sister after four years of cohabitation on two separate planets.

He watched her shoulders rather than her eyes.

Many people here said that the eyes were a window to the soul, but Hitomi had learned to conceal her emotions so well around people she didn't trust back in Japan that she couldn't lose her guarded state when relaxed.

Her shoulders however were a far better measure in his view of judging her temperament.

And after his question, she shrugged and her shoulders sagged slightly. He smiled gently knowing what separation from loved ones was like, however his and Yukari's relationship was far more dramatic than Hitomi and Fanel-san's.

Amano had only seen Hitomi as a friend first for years and then a sister. He wanted to protect her from being upset. But it was hard to protect her when what saddened her was right in front of her.

He wasn't like Takeshi who would say in his brightest voice, _Of course he'll be waiting for you and you'll live happily ever after_.

Even though Takeshi, like everyone in the village had faced hardship during the war, he still held the view that everything would turn out alright.

Amano was no longer that optimistic. That didn't mean he was an emo by any standards and imagining himself with all the make-up and the clothes made him laugh inwardly.

But he was more realistic when it came to life, which made him a good architect and builder being highly practical. So Amano comforted Hitomi in the best way he could, he offered her something that always cheered her up.

"Kiki's made dim sum today, with turnip paste!" he added smiling in the knowledge food always brightened his sister's mood.

Hitomi smiled in return at her older-brother/father figure.

By no means had her new family replaced the old one, there still was a gaping hole that flapped every time a melancholic wind bristled through her.

But this family, her new one made her happier than she had been before. Possibly covering the gap left by a red-eyed, raven haired boy, but that wasn't important right now. She had a mother, father, two brothers, a sister and a niece. That alone dispersed any sadness she felt. And the food helped a great deal too.

She grinned and looped her arm through Amano's,

"Nice one! Though there better be enough for me **and** Takeshi, no way am I sharing one square of Turnip paste with him!" Amano laughed at her switch in mood and gladdened at the sight.

Hitomi had adapted here, despite not being with Fanel-san and was genuinely happy. He too was content here, he had moved on from his past enough to say he was looking ahead to the future more than looking back. But he was sure in time Hitomi too would do the same.

A loud shout came from the kitchen door and a mop of dark hair and a face bobbed in front of them,

"Oi! Cloud-watchers! Get in here! Food's ready and _I'm hungry!"_ Takeshi whined comically, pouting at them. He was joined by a smaller face with blonde curls smiling at them happily,

"Mano-nii, Mimi-nee chan, lunch is ready! And Shi-nii's stomach's growling like a dragon!" She giggled and ran back into the kitchen. Hitomi laughed and Amano smirked, staring at his brother,

"A dragon? More like a dog I'd say."

Takeshi rolled his eyes and replied,

"Well there wouldn't be any growling if it weren't for you cloud-watching Shikamaru," Hitomi rolled her eyes and pushed both men in the kitchen, inhaling the sweet aroma of Kiki's cooking,

"He's too blonde to be Shikamaru. He's more like Naruto!" Everyone laughed at the comment and the straight faced Amano quipped back,

"Where's the ramen dattebayo?" The kitchen filled with laughter. Hitomi smiled at her family's antics, content to wait for a certain Dragon King, her current circumstances were pretty good.

* * *

After the silence had become too uncomfortable, Haruka Kanzaki asked rather boldly to hear from the Gaean friends of Hitomi an account of her time on Gaea.

From what the Kanzaki family had explained it was obvious that Hitomi had never told her family fully what had occurred, and Haruka was now extremely curious.

Specifically how a _King_ was determined to marry her daughter, to which she currently had no objections, but she wanted to know why these people seemed in such awe of Hitomi.

And so Van began retelling the story of how he and Hitomi met with welcome interruptions from Merle, and then Allen who added or adjusted his account.

Then Millerna and Dryden explained their role and how they met Hitomi along with the chronology of the tale. Celena spoke briefly, with Allen's concise explanation that his sister had been taken by Zaibach, freed on one occasion and then found directly after the war.

Some moments were excluded such as the barn incident and the following bridge incident which Van grudgingly still felt sore about, his thoughts having often wandered towards the various _what ifs_, some less innocent than others the older he became.

Nonetheless, the group managed to recall most if not all of the journey Hitomi had endured, answering when possible questions posed by Haruka and Mamoru; Kenzo remaining silent the whole time.

The entire narrative took a few hours to tell, and the conclusion which didn't mention Van and Hitomi's promise arrived along with the onset of an early dinner.

The Kanzaki family minus one left the apartments they had resided in for the past three days for the first time since arrival and were awed by the palace corridors, decorated comprehensively but not distastefully.

The paintings, tapestries and ornaments were all food for the eyes, and the food they ate was sumptuous enough to partially ease the collective guilt of the Kanzaki family minus one.

Conversation throughout dinner was polite and casual as possible for members of royalty and almost strangers who were the sole link they had to Hitomi.

At the end of what seemed like a banquet to the Kanzaki family minus one, Van offered them a tour of the Palace which Mamoru eagerly accepted.

Van smiled at how Hitomi's brother had adapted so quickly to his surroundings, much like Hitomi.

Although she had primarily been stunned by her relocation to another planet, she had adapted so quickly and became involved in the situation as if it concerned her as much as it did the natives of Gaea.

Even though he had newly discovered information about Hitomi that angered him, he knew he had to be patient with her family if he wanted his preparations to succeed and bring the result he desired.

The letter he had read a few days ago still echoed in his mind and his reply having adjusted the time meant he would soon achieve what he had dreamed of for the past five years.

* * *

"Van-sama! Van-sama!" Merle called her brother, who appeared deep in thought, _probably missing Hitomi_ she thought sadly.

No matter how much information they had received from Hitomi's family, good or bad, it wasn't the same as having Hitomi with them. Van was probably thinking the same, but ever the diplomat was being as king and welcoming as possible to what could only be described as second-best.

Van turned to his sister and smiled, though it looked cheerless to Merle. She pulled her arm through the crook of his and gestured to their guests of both worlds,

"This way! We'll show you everything you need to know about Fanelia!" She chirruped.

Van smiled at Merle's enthusiasm, no, pride of her home nation. His thoughts returning to the letter, and then to his guests he formed an idea. He could easily communicate with his correspondent a lot faster than they normally did and hopefully he could assess the situation for himself.

He sighed inwardly at the realisation that not only did he now have to explain his actions to his friends, but Hitomi's family as well. He saw his imminent future as incentive enough.

They all strolled through the various corridors, Merle brightening into the perky tour guide which thoroughly amused Van. She was even polite to Mamoru who posed a few questions about Fanelia's history.

Van was very proud of how Merle was _now _politely treating their guests despite the revelations from the Kanzaki family. A sneakier part of him was also happy to show his alien guests around to impress them and ease them into helping him when the time came.

He wasn't prepared for how soon he would have to persuade his guests, _all_ of them.

* * *

They rounded a corner and on the wall opposite a large window was a beautiful painting that basked in the early evening fading sunlight. Merle and most of the guests passed the painting, Van smiled to himself as even Merle hadn't noticed the new addition to the corridor nor the painting's likeness.

He eyed the painting carefully, smiling to himself and carried on, but it was Mamoru who stopped and stared at the painting.

He gazed at it fully as its position in the hall drew one's gaze to it immediately. And he was taken over by shock when he recognised who the painting was of.

"Hitomi!" he cried out in shock, which made everyone turn round to face him. Merle momentarily believed that Hitomi had appeared in the palace a few days late, why else would her brat of a younger brother cry out her name?

To her annoyance he was standing alone behind them all, staring at a painting.

So why on earth was he staring at a painting as if it held answers to all the questions they all had for one another but had not yet asked.

Her eyes flickered to her adopted older-brother who seemed slightly shocked by something. Perhaps because the stupid boy had yelled his sister's name, Van had momentarily shared her belief that Hitomi had returned to them?

But she could see the look on his face was not of sadness or hope, he was worried?

What was that about?

She had stayed in her spot leading the group, staring back at Van; unaware that everyone else had crowded round the painting that Mamoru was transfixed by.

* * *

"Sacred Buddha!" Kenzo Kanzaki cried out.

His son had a perfectly good reason for crying out his sister's name. She was the one smiling back at him in the painting, waving slightly.

Haruka Kanzaki stared at the painting in shock.

Her daughter was perfectly depicted in the life size painting in front of her.

Her motherly instincts picked up on the length of her hair, how healthier she looked, how _relaxed_ she seemed. But what the entire Kanzaki family were taken aback by was the dazzling smile on the person they hadn't seen smile like that for four years.

Van stood apart from the group crowded round the painting.

He had stared at it long enough to know the exact details of the female depicted. Merle had approached his side, her eyes flickering from the painting to him and back again. Being feline, she could see clearly from a distance whom the painting was of.

Even though Hitomi looked older, the clothes were definitely not from Gaea and the eyes were the same green as she remembered from five years ago. She stared at her brother's small smile.

Merle was perfectly aware that her brother didn't tell her everything.

He was a King and expected to keep secrets, politics and all.

But Merle could tell that he was hiding something from her now; she had sensed it ever since Hitomi's family had arrived without her. Van was capable of masking his emotions effortlessly, having done so since childhood but he had not even seemed sad about Hitomi not appearing.

But before even she could say anything at all. Or even ask him where on earth he had managed to get a painting of Hitomi that was so life-like her family recognised her, she was cut across by Kenzo Kanzaki.

"How in Buddha's name do you have a painting of my daughter?" he demanded angrily. Everyone turned to face him, questioning.

Mr. Kanzaki's shock echoed across the others as they too were baffled as to how Van had managed to get someone to paint Hitomi? It didn't make any sense.

Only Merle was a few steps ahead of people as she could read her brother's expression.

"Hitomi's here isn't she Van-sama?" she asked as calmly as possible, whilst practically bursting with excitement inside.

Many other questions whizzed through her mind asking where? When? How and most importantly why had Van not gone to her immediately?

But it appeared the others weren't on her wavelength.

"How would Hitomi get to Gaea? She's in Italy!" Mamoru retorted.

The painting, although it shocked Mamoru could easily be explained if Hitomi had given a photo to Van who had had it enlarged and painted. Simple.

She was wearing clothes from Earth after all. He turned back to the painting, staring at his sister wearing a white knee-length skirt and a red vest top, sitting on a stone wall, smiling at him.

The background was of lush countryside and mountain peaks. It could easily be in Italy after all there were mountains in Italy right?

So it could easily be there and the painting was so lifelike it could only have come from a photo.

But the Gaean occupants knew that Van had had no contact with Hitomi for almost five years so they were mystified as to how he had got this painting of Hitomi which it definitely was as her family had identified her.

Their eyes were on Van, asking questions.

He inhaled deeply and spoke in a calm voice,

"I was given a picture of her Kanzaki-san, a photo I believe it is called. It was rather small so I managed to get it enlarged." He avoided Merle's question but she knew him well enough,

"Van-sama!"

He looked at his adopted sister and smiled gently, then addressed the entire group,

"If you would like to follow me everyone, I believe there are some things I should tell you." He silently turned and walked down a corridor towards the apartments he had put the Kanzaki family in. He prayed hard to Escaflowne that it wouldn't take all night. He had another appointment to fulfil. One he had waited for ages to realize.

* * *

A/N: Chapter 4.5 up in under a day! And it will be a further apology for the LONG wait I made you have! Apologies!! Big time! Review please, I'll be praying to Escaflowne-sama! Never know – there could be fluff next chapter!!

Peace

Sina xx


	5. 4 II A Kiss and a Phone Call interlude

A/N: As I was so evil to you, but the internet connection was my main problem – anyway my apology comes in the form of two updates in one (ish)! Woo and there's fluff oh how there is fluff!!

V/H all the bumpy long-winding way! Am Loving the reviews! Actually cried! 10!! Best bday present EVER! Thank you!! And over 1,200 hits! Woo!

Thanks for reading, hope you like it and please review!

Peace

Sina xx

**

* * *

**

Thanks to the Birthday reviewers!!:

Mysisterisasquijum – Yep Van knows!

Inda – Van's hiding a lot of things! Hee hee. Okay, okay okay!

Lil Dinky – Sorry! Will give more warning! Update here! Update here! And Kenzo does so deserve a slap!

thepinkmartini – Yep the phone/pendant will be used in this chappie too!

B'resheet – here's the next update and thanks for the alert!

Arminal – thank you!! And here is your update!!

Addictescaflowne – well they're going to meet soon enough! How's this chapter for you?

CrossXFire – lovely long review! And some things are explained in! Revelations properly start next chapter!

InLuvWidVan – Fluff is here my lady! And there will be kisses here (tee hee) Kind of a forward apology for the problems they're going to have! lol

sneedlle – yay! Confusion be gone! If you do injure yourself, I can't legally be responsible XD.

**Last time:**

_He looked at his adopted sister and smiled gently, then addressed the entire group,_

"_If you would like to follow me everyone, I believe there are some things I should tell you." He silently turned and walked down a corridor towards the apartments he had put the Kanzaki family in. He prayed hard to Escaflowne that it wouldn't take all night. He had another appointment to fulfil. One he had waited for ages to realize._

* * *

Chapter 4.5 – A Kiss and a phone call (interlude)

Hitomi sat up in bed from her evening nap. She had laid down on her bed nice and early to read her favourite fantasy epic, though she often drifted to her own accounts of warfare. However she had fallen asleep, completely unplanned. In her mind though, it was acceptable.

She hadn't had an early afternoon nap before so she had compensated. And she would probably spend half the night awake nursing _somebody_ drunk. But her good mood purveyed and she smiled to herself at the silence she awoke to rather than the usual noise or crash or yell that woke her up. She stretched and pulling her blanket with her from on top of the covers she wandered outside barefoot.

She shivered slightly from the chill but was happy to sit on the stone wall just outside the entrance to the shrine with the grey fluffy blanket round her, staring at the echoes of twinkling lights both in the sky and below in the Fanelian Capital as twilight faded into night.

She pulled the blanket tighter round her frame, not bothering to change from her jade green ra-ra skirt and white vest that were highly comfy to sleep in and house clothes. After all it had been a very humid evening and she liked the feeling of the air on her legs stretched out in front of her.

And as everyone in the village was probably in the tavern or in their homes, she wouldn't be embarrassed to show so much skin as no one was around to see it.

She inhaled the crisp mountain air and sighed gently. Once again she was alone. But maybe it was a good thing having silence around her for a short while. Time to think, to ponder life.

Amano had left after dinner to go to the village tavern.

Takeshi had gone to speak with his brother but would no doubt end up in the tavern too. But Takeshi would either come home slightly drunk as usual and pass out somewhere abnormal or sleep in the village.

Amano, she smiled, might possible stay with the Urashima family who were eyeing him as a prospective son in law as much as he was eyeing Hatsumi as a prospective wife. Hitomi smiled broadly at the thought that Amano had settled comfortably here, so much he was _settling down with a girl no less_.

Satsuki had gone to Kakeru and Hana's for the night to check on the baby bump as Hitomi had foreseen earlier that day Hana would suffer from serious cramps and would need calming this evening unless they wanted the chance of a premature birth on their hands.

And she had taken Mayu with her, to stay the night to help Kakeru and Hana, _testing out the nursery_ as she called it.

* * *

So here she was.

Hitomi Kanzaki, Seeress of the Mystic Moon, student of Ryuu, who was practically a demi-god come to think of it; was sitting on a wall staring out at the world below.

She laughed at herself, painting herself as some sort of important figure or all powerful _sorceress,_ which she certainly wasn't.

And as usual, when alone and looking down at the view she had, she thought of Van Fanel.

She was so lost in filtering through her memories the same way a person flicks through photos on their computer, she didn't even notice the person approaching her.

She heard a noise, like something from the back of a person's throat.

Ignoring it as her imagination, she only turned when she heard a discreet cough, surprised that one of the boys had returned so early and so quietly whilst inebriated. Her surprise only magnified further when she saw who was really standing on the path behind her.

And then it came to her.

Even with the small amount of light behind her from the last few sun rays she instantly recognised who was watching her. Quite the Kodak moment in her hazy mind.

Although he looked different from her other _dreams_.

He looked older, _way_ better looking than he had as a teen she thought cheekily to herself. He had grown up into a certified hottie. And whereas he had been cute and attractive before, he was definitely someone any female would stare at.

Thus her reasoning concluded, she couldn't _help_ but gape at him.

After all, in her other dreams he was often his teen self and his face became more and more indistinct as time passed. But this time he seemed so real. And he too was staring back at her.

Just as he always did, but there was something in his gaze she hadn't seen before, he seemed so intent on staring at her like _that_.

She pulled her gaze away from locking with his and sighed as she traced the mountain peaks below with her eyes. Like many times before he stood behind her, silent as ever.

She spoke aloud, not facing him but her voice carried behind her,

"Silent as always aren't you?" she asked, not expecting an answer, she smiled to herself, pulling the blanket round her again as it kept slipping as she shifted round and back,

"You know mysterious silence can only be _so_ attractive, some effort is required. You can't get past on just your appearance." She chided teasingly, not bothered to look back as he would disappear and leave her alone when she turned back as in most dreams.

But she was shocked when she heard him move closer to her.

Shocked even further when she turned back to see him standing right behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder, pulling the blanket round her. She was stunned by the contact. It felt so _real, his fingertips brushing against her neck_.

She stared up at him and _it felt different_.

* * *

He smiled gently down at her and for the first time in any of her dreams, she saw him properly. The infusing darkness seemed to ignore him as she saw the clear angles of his face and just how striking he was after five years.

She stood up slowly, her face getting closer to his as she rose.

He too examined her every feature clearly.

She smiled achingly and pressed herself against him, placing her arms around his waist and her cheek against his chest.

"I missed you," she whispered, afraid that if she spoke too loudly he would disappear as he normally did when she got too close.

Instead he wrapped his arms around her waist in return, giving her more warmth than the blanket had kept in. He placed his chin on the crown of her head and murmured back quietly,

"I missed you too." She grinned against his chest, hearing words she had waited years to hear.

"Long time no see Van." She said softly, amazed at how real her dream felt, she could hear his breathing. He was there with her.

But she knew when she woke up it would hurt all the more when she would be all alone in her bed, no closer to him.

She felt him sigh against her, and then tilt her chin up to face him, his fingers ghosting along her jaw and cheekbone,

"I know. I'm sorry." And his facial expressions were so real. He seemed to be drinking in her appearance, his eyes detailing every feature but still remaining locked with her own eyes.

She shivered at his gaze and he looked down,

"Shouldn't you be wearing something warmer?" he murmured, almost teasingly.

She flushed and narrowed her eyes slightly,

"My uniform skirt was the same length the last time I was here, so what's your problem?" she asked, as if he had touched a nerve, he smirked in response, his eyes meeting hers again,

"No problem, none whatsoever." He murmured languidly, promising something, something she had wanted for a very long time.

She could see how dark his eyes were. Not brown or red, but a burgundy wine colour.

He leaned closer to her, his head tilted one way and she automatically responded, tilting her head the other way. And then he did it. He kissed her. Something she had been waiting for, for years. It had never felt so _real_ before. And she definitely had to compliment her subconscious as this kiss was certainly amazing.

Better than any of the few real ones she had endured. She smiled against his lips as he moved his mouth against hers, pulling her bottom lip gently between his and massaging it.

She could barely think with feeling her spine tingle and the warmth of his arms pulling her steadfast against him. She pulled back after a minute or so, lost in her own haze of emotions and hormones that had jumped to life after five years stagnating.

* * *

He was smiling broadly at her, still slightly shocked by how compelling she was. And he certainly wasn't complaining about the amount of skin she had on show.

Even when he had walked up the path and saw her coming out of the shrine he couldn't help but stare as blood flooded in two separate directions at the sight of her creamy toned thighs.

His fifteen year old self and very jealous subconscious automatically growled that he better be the only one to have this view and not every single man in the village. The draconian side of him was certainly very possessive and the expanse of bare skin certainly pushed these desires to the forefront of his mind.

But his hormones weren't the only thing blown away.

She had grown into her herself, truly feminine appeal and her hair had definitely grown by the length of it tied up swaying slightly as she sat down on the wall. His nerves did nothing but urge him towards her. He was in love with this woman, but by the gods she was beautiful.

He had to stop himself from simply staring at her and actually talk to the woman he had waited for five years to see again.

* * *

Hitomi could only grin stupidly at his actions.

His face pressed against her neck, brushing his lips lightly along her collarbone as she shuddered; the hormonal teenager inside her jumping to life and thinking some very _interesting_ thoughts about things they could do.

After all she _was_ asleep and her dreams of him either consisted of him standing behind her, silent and unmoving; flashbacks of events during the war; or brief touches or kisses that she never really felt. But this time, it was different.

She felt at peace and yet on fire just being near him.

Well she was more than near him, being pressed up against him. And she was perfectly comfortable. Yes, she felt nervous but her body and her heart seemed to take over from her dizzying brain that had jarred to a halt the second he had touched her.

He was undoubtedly different from his fifteen year old self she thought.

Back then he wouldn't have dared to kiss her or touch her in any way that wasn't necessary. But here he was, in her _dream_ acting more maturely, of her own imagination though. So it wasn't anything to get worked up about.

But then he leaned down again and showed her what a proper kiss was.

* * *

Neither of them capable of defining when they had sat down on the stone wall, Hitomi half sitting on Van's lap her hands on his chest or arms, keeping her steady.

His arms around her, bracing her at first.

But as the kiss progressed and their hormones cushioned them rather than clouded, one arm cradled the back of her head and the other lazed on her hip bone, his thumb stroking the gap between her top and skirt.

A good long while was spent with the King and Seeress happily entwined around one another, carefully exploring each other's mouths and how they had changed.

It had begun to truly get dark when they managed to disentangle themselves slightly. Their lips were no longer assaulting each other, but Hitomi peacefully sat in Van's lap, her head on his shoulder.

"Hitomi?" he asked in a quiet voice, barely heard by the female in his lap who was almost dozing contentedly leaning against the heat his body provided. She looked up, smiling gently at him,

"Yea?" she whispered back. He grinned slightly, his thumb returning to the waistband of her skirt,

"What's that?" he asked, curiously referring to a dark brown swirl peeping out over the waistband, contrasting with her creamy skin.

Hitomi blushed slightly at how his attention had managed to encompass her skirt, even though his hands had never strayed past her waist whilst they had been heatedly entangled, or at least not that she was aware.

She looked down, muffling her words,

"It's Mehndi. Similar to a type of tattoo."

"Tattoo?" he responded, shocked. She looked up, mirthfully at the astonishment in his voice and grinned at him.

"It's not permanent. Don't worry. It's a dye that they use here in skin decoration. It fades in a few weeks."

Van nodded, having been taken aback by the idea that his beloved had a tattoo of all things.

Though the thought of her having a design on her skin seemed quite appealing to him. He smirked gently, and breathed against her ear,

"Can I see it?" he could hear her heart thudding at such a request as if he had said something completely different.

Hitomi inwardly liquefied at his words. For a dream he certainly was turning her bones to jelly; he was very seductive. Was the real version like this at all? She shook her head gently, which Van noticed and asked again almost silently, his lips against her ear this time,

"Please."

That one word had Hitomi breathing heavily, as her teenage hormones became rampant and the Takeshi/Satsuki influenced part of her thought of some very interesting connotations she could attach his pleading to. She shook herself and looked him straight in the eye. There was something different again. He looked sad as if she had upset him.

But before she could speak, the dream changed.

* * *

Van sighed as Hitomi slumped against him.

An hour he had been given and that hour had ended. He could easily slide down her skirt. He flushed at the idea, his own thoughts becoming less and less clean by the second.

He adjusted Hitomi's position slightly so he could lift her up bridal style and carry her into the shrine.

She looked so contented asleep, he thought. He had been given a moment of happiness and he knew he was going to pay for it soon enough. Second door on the right he had been told, as he padded into the shrine and walked towards the door that was wide open. He stepped into the room and found it to be neat and tidy.

He paid attention to what he could of the room in darkness, hoping he would return here with her, as a conscious woman instead.

One preferably that wouldn't have murderous intentions, though he wouldn't blame her. He knew that his request was wrong deep down, but he had waited nine months and he couldn't wait any longer for things to go at the rate they were.

She had arrived here in early autumn and just when he had found enough time to get across the country to see her, the weather had sharpened and winter had kicked in two months early in the mountains.

Hitomi was then effectively cut off from him for six months being completely snowed in.

He had managed to convince himself that it was better this way. He could prepare his council and effectively himself for her arrival, and she would have time to adjust to the life of another planet.

He had received letter from various winter fowl about how she was adapting to life. He found himself both pleased that she was settling in, and worried that in time she may not want to leave.

Van gently laid Hitomi down on the bed and spread the blanket across her. She looked so calm and tranquil in her sleep. The draconian part of him suspected it would be a while before she was calm and tranquil around him again, especially if awake.

He pulled part of the covers around her legs so she would be warm enough, and bent down to kiss her forehead.

"Sleep well." He whispered.

And then he left.

* * *

Hitomi woke up to the sounds of laughter and then groans.

She curled herself back into her blanket and part of the covers rolled around her. She groaned aloud at having to wake up. Her dream, or the beginning of it had been so welcoming and so _good_ that she had almost convinced herself it was real.

She had never felt such sensations before so how could her imagination be so creative to make her feel such things in depth as if she was recalling them from something before. Allen certainly hadn't aroused those emotions in her, so where on Gaea had they come from. She placed her fingers on her lips as if it would give her any guidance but she had no clue.

She got up, keeping the blanket round her and trudged into the kitchen. She was welcomed gladly by her two brother figures who were badly nursing hangovers yet again and heralded her entrance as the answer to their pain. She rolled her eyes.

Almost halfway through the family breakfast, with Hitomi drifting back to her dream whilst Mayu and Satsuki reported news about Kakeru, a lull appeared.

And in that moment a phone began to ring.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's so late. Please review… I want to know if you like it and what needs improvement et al. Explanations will certainly continue next chapter. This is only 4.5. Let me know!!

Sina xx


	6. Truly Worthy?

A/N: Wow! Over 1,800 views! Woo! Thanks for reading!! Explanations ARE DEFINITELY starting in this chapter. Answers to why Hitomi's on Gaea, and how Van knows are in here! Woo. Whether last chapter was a dream is also answered! Lol. Hope you all liked the interlude! And the fluff! Kyaa!

_Ending inspired by Success by Super Junior (another one for you Shaif!)_

* * *

Thanks to everyone who read, _especially_:

Inda – Sorry for the confusion and I'm definitely keeping it coming!

Lil' Dinky – I'm amazed that someone can follow what I'm thinking! Thank you!! blushes

Mysisterisasquijum – lol! Yep yep all the way! But we still love him right? Right?

Sneedlle – Yay! No injuries this time! Explanations are HERE! For certain!

Thepinkmartini – Thanks! And questions will be answered riiiiiiiight NOW! lol

Darkang128 

Jav-chan – Lol Amano is definitely a good guy, though there aren't really any bad guys. Yes love for Naruto as well! Amano's dealio will be explored soon!

And you dedicated a chapter to ME! Woo! Thank you, lovely bday pressie! xx

Shaif – (lol) not official review but still – dream or not a dream? answered here! lol Thank you for the youthful questions! Haha

Rezangel92

Readaholic1987

Jav-chan – HERE! HERE! HERE! Please no threats, I'm a pacifist! Do you need me to threaten you with a Mary-sue or even Mark-sue?

* * *

Where we were last:

_Almost halfway through the family breakfast, with Hitomi drifting back to her dream whilst Mayu and Satsuki reported news about Kakeru, a lull appeared. _

_And in that moment a phone began to ring._

Chapter 5: Truly Worthy

Satsuki watched her cousin sit across from her, his back straighter than when they normally talked. However she knew he wasn't happy with tonight's situation. And was probably going to hound her; starting with a staring contest to annoy the corset off her. So she spoke first,

"Well?" she asked. He looked at her,

"Well what cousin?"

Satsuki rolled her eyes, scoffing at his formal tone,

"If you want to have a go at me Kakeru, do so; then we can both go to sleep." He sighed at his cousin's impatience and gestured out the window,

"Do you think what you're doing is a good idea Kiki?" he asked, and held up his hand to stop her from butting in which surprisingly she complied with.

"I know you want them to be happy, but do you think Hitomi will be happy with even more _betrayal_?"

"Betrayal? What on earth are you implying?" Satsuki's voice rose by an octave,

"The fact that not only have we kept her here whilst Fanel-san is perfectly aware of her presence on Gaea?"

"Or how about that you've DRUGGED her today so Fanel-san can take advantage of her and let her believe it was a dream?" his voice rose angrily,

"You're painting me out to be some sort of villain, like I'm plotting behind Hitomi's back. I'm trying to help her." Her eyebrows twitched in conjunction with her speech.

"We both know she won't see it that way when the truth comes out. We have enough to be guilty about; why we've lied to her about her coming here and our knowledge of outside events. She won't accept our explanations."

"Kakeru…" She reached the pitch of whining,

"I'm not telling you off Kiki. You discussed this with His Majesty and what is happening cannot be stopped. We are working at his discretion. But I believe tonight will only harden Hitomi's resolve against us."

"She won't be angry for long Kakeru. She'll be happy to be with her King again." Satsuki resolved, trying to believe her own words.

She sighed and stared out at the dwindling light aware that in a few minutes Hitomi would be happier than she had been in the sum of the past five years all together. Whether or not she would be happy upon realisation that her King was pretending she was dreaming was another issue.

But surely one moment of happiness was worth ten months of sadness.

--

She, Satsuki Haneul had been brought into the plan originally unwilling.

She was perfectly happy to live in the valley with Ryuu-sama in the spacious shrine, away from the world.

But for some strange, unknown reason she had agreed to take the Seeress from the Mystic Moon under her wing and subtly instruct her in ways of royalty, preparing her for her future life.

She had primarily objected at the fact Hitomi would be completely unaware of the plot going on around her. But the minute sliver of her heart that still believed in real love and the towering fable that was Van Fanel and Hitomi Kanzaki made her want to help.

It pushed her to do whatever she could on behalf of the Fanelian King in order for him and her _little sister_ to find unending happiness. None of this was connected to her own failings in love, _of course_.

She had noticed the tension in Kakeru when he entered the room after helping his heavily pregnant wife into bed, Mayu having had her bedtime story read was also sound asleep.

She knew he was completely against tonight's plan but it had been nine months for Escaflowne's sake. Not to mention the previous five in which Hitomi and her _man_ had been entire light years apart as Takeshi said, whatever it meant.

Both Hitomi and His Majesty needed some time together, before it all got very messy. And knowing relationships as well as she did, it was going to be downright filthy, especially with Hitomi's _family_ wherever they were, and how Hitomi would react to everything.

Kakeru scoffed at his cousin's ideas but he could do nothing to change the situation without making Hitomi aware of the match being played around her. He sighed and leant back in his chair, praying to Escaflowne that everything would be alright.

* * *

Merle sat on her bed in exhausted shock, her heart having raced throughout the entire evening.

After Van had supplied them with his revelations, he had bowed out for the night, claiming he was tired. She knew once again he was lying as he seemed to be preparing himself for some sort of confrontation.

The part of her that was still a preteen kitten that latched onto Van-sama's arm at every opportunity accepted that there were things he had to do that she may not like, but should understand it was his prerogative as King.

The more recent and rather feminist free-thinking part of her believed that Van was a cruel person to have so casually plotted out Hitomi's future without her having any knowledge.

As much as she rooted for her brother and Hitomi – _her own personal love story_ – to have a happy ending, she felt her brother was acting more as a politician would than someone in love.

She saw how Hitomi's family were completely shocked by his explanation. They all were, but she could see Hitomi's mother soften at the idea Van had been thinking of his daughter even after she had left.

Merle went through Van's explanation again.

Six months after the Destiny War had ended, a man came to Fanelia and sought Van out.

He was the Daimyo of the Mystic Valley, which had been decimated during the War and the people tortured and enslaved under Zaibach rule. This man, Kakeru Manabe was known to Merle mainly via the amount of correspondence he sent to Van.

And now she understood why.

This Manabe person had asked the young King rebuilding his country if the now homeless residents of the Mystic Valley could possibly relocate to Fanelia in the mountains.

Van had agreed, seeing no reason why not.

Then six months later the Daimyo returned to inform the Fanelian King that his people were so very grateful to him for giving them a home that they wanted to give him something in return.

Van being his usual self refused until this Kakeru person revealed that they could provide a way for Van to communicate with Hitomi.

Van had thought of such things in the six months he had been apart from Hitomi after she had left and when provided with a means of seeing her again, he instead chose to plan for the future, _their_ future.

The Daimyo offered to send his younger brother to the Mystic Moon to watch over Hitomi which Van accepted as he wanted for Hitomi to be happy.

Then Van had received a message nine months ago that Hitomi had arrived in the Mystic Valley with Kakeru's brother, who Merle assumed was the male voice in the projections they had seen of Hitomi.

Van had attempted to go to the Valley, but winter had kicked in and cut off Hitomi from him and the rest of civilization.

Merle skimmed over the basics as Van had gone into a great amount of detail that night, her head was buzzing with all kinds of questions and thoughts. The main one being why Van himself hadn't been to see Hitomi in over five years when there had been a way to do so. She shook her head and yawned widely.

She undressed quickly and got under her warm covers, sighing gently. She could only hope that her brother knew what he was doing and that everything worked out in the end.

After all, he deserved a happy ending, didn't he?

* * *

Van woke up in his bed smiling to himself.

He had seen the love of his life once again and by the gods was he happy. Even though everything was far from over, he still felt his heart racing at the thought of her and _now_ the sight.

He practically beamed his way round his private wing heading towards breakfast, lost in his memories of the previous night.

He had flown to the New Mystic Valley and back himself, rather enjoying the feeling of unfolding his wings, of course the later feelings were far more pleasant. How someone could affect him so much he would never know, not that he minded at all.

Of course his mood dampened slightly when he entered the chamber and was greeted by silence.

His Asturian friends paid him no attention and carried on eating their breakfast as if he had not entered the room. He inwardly sighed, but their silent irritation barely reached his buoyancy after his meeting last night.

Merle looked at him, straight in the eye and nodded as he sat down beside her. He knew she would be disappointed in him but she understood him.

Enough to know that he wasn't used to sharing things, or information, even _people_ with others.

He was so independent it annoyed his council at times when he wandered off into the forest unattended, causing mass hysteria in the castle until he would return to find people dropping to their knees in relief at finding him alive and unscathed. He had had to learn to curb his self-sufficient behaviour in the past five years.

However his accord with Kakeru-san had been his little secret, his alone.

Something he could think about when overly stressed or feeling alone. How he had albeit a distant connection, but a connection nonetheless to Hitomi.

So sharing it with others had been a wrench but he could appreciate why they were angry.

And with what he was going to suggest, he felt he needed to clear the air with his friends first. But perhaps he should tell them his future plans first, after all they could just get angry again.

"I completely understand that you're angry with me keeping secrets from you all and you have every right to not want to speak to me."

"Angry?" Millerna responded, looking slightly baffled, "We're not angry. We can understand why you kept this from us Van, after all you do love Hitomi." She smiled at him gently.

The other three nodded and Celena grinned slightly,

"We weren't ignoring you Van, just giving Merle an opportunity to yell at you, that's all." She smirked sweetly, her grin mirrored on her brother's face who was trying to stifle a laugh in his all his knightly capabilities.

Van rolled his eyes and Merle growled slightly,

"I wouldn't yell. I am not some screeching teenager by any means." The silence around her magnified her annoyance, causing her voice to rise an octave,

"I do not screech!" She stated, barely keeping her anger at bay and was impeded by Van laying his hand on her shoulder and patting it reassuringly.

"No one's teasing you Merle. And I apologise to you," he murmured solemnly and then turned to his guests, "To all of you for keeping this from you. I simply didn't know how to explain the situation to you, I'm sorry."

He bowed formally and Merle giggled at his expression. He rolled his eyes and sat down, reaching out for some fruit.

It was Allen who asked gently,

"So how is she?" Van looked up at his friend and nodded, acknowledging his question,

"From what I've been told she's happy. Happier than she was on the Mystic Moon. Though I had no idea of what had happened between her and her parents."

Van inwardly chuckled gleefully at how well he knew she was happy, how happy she had been because of him.

Or rather she _had_ been. He could only hope she wouldn't want to crush him under a guymelef's foot when she discovered the truth.

"And the man in the apparitions we've seen, is that the Daimyo's brother?" Millerna asked, curiosity seeping back into her shock filled brain. Brought out of his haze of contentment Van nodded,

"As far as I know yes, and I'm guessing he's whom Hitomi's lived with the past four years."

But before the conversation could go any further, the door to the well lit room was opened by a servant and the Kanzaki family minus one entered silently. Van noticed Merle's hackles rise in anticipation.

To be honest he too was expecting Hitomi's family to confront him.

After all he had talked for a good hour and an half the night before without a single interruption and then had practically run off.

Of course his hormones had been rather fervent the night before and now were quite sated. But he was left in a potentially explosive situation concerning Hitomi's family.

* * *

Mamoru felt the tension as they entered the room, the occupants silenced as they walked over to the table. After the previous night's revelations, his level of shock went from _Naruto's the Kyuubi container_ to _Naruto's father was Yondaime Hokage_.

So in other words he was rather shocked.

And that brat Hitomi hung out with was from Gaea? Surprisingly the weird guy was not a/her drug dealer, he reminded himself ashamedly. His remorse was increasing by the hour.

After all this man, the Fanelian King had only known his sister for three months at best and even after her departure he continued to think of her and _technically_ had been watching over her for the past four years, looking out for her.

What could _he_ say he had done for his older sister in comparison?

He inwardly curled up into a self-pitying ball of loathing. He had been an outright bastard to his older sister who had never retaliated to his jibes or his behaviour and continued to send birthday and Christmas cards and presents.

And from what he remembered seeing in the rubbish bin, they seemed to be quite good ones too!

Mamoru felt he owed this man his respect and thanks.

Still, he could tell his otou-san was far from impressed.

Kanzaki Senior was not happy with anything, but his father was naturally cranky about Gaea, even now they knew it was all _real._

In Mamoru's mind, Van Fanel was _completely_ worthy of his sister, he had done so much to help her it was obvious he cared for her.

**And he wanted her to be his wife!**

Mamoru vowed inwardly to help Van 'get' his sister, thus indirectly helping his sister find the happiness he now felt she deserved, like how Kyo and Tohru were meant to be _not that he'd ever admit reading his sister's manga_!

Well, in turn Hitomi deserved her fairytale ending he surmised. He just hoped his father wouldn't act like a human-eating cast member of Jurassic Park.

Before he sat down opposite the King he bowed to him and murmured quietly,

"Good morning Your Majesty, everyone."

* * *

Kenzo Kanzaki sat next to his son, with his wife on the other side of him; the cat lady sitting opposite him glaring fully.

He saw no need for it.

The man sitting next to her deserved her glare far more than he did. He heard his son greet the people in the room, followed by his wife doing the same. Then the King responded in kind, as if they weren't expecting him to greet them.

Well why in Sacred Buddha's name should he?

He had not come here on purpose and he certainly did not want to stay.

Royalty or not, he wasn't from this planet so why should he bow and scrape to _them_, the people who had _damaged_ his daughter.

And this man, Van Fanel had the audacity to say he wanted to marry his daughter?

Where in Buddha's sacred moisturiser ingredients did he think he had the right to do so?

This man had not even asked him, Hitomi's father, for permission! Snarky little upstart. He could feel his blood pressure rising, as he had now run out of his medication after having finished what he had taken for his _holiday_.

Some holiday it was turning out to be.

The cat lady opposite him politely asked his wife and son if they had slept well and his family, _the traitors,_ responded affirmatively!

What in the name of Buddha were they doing?

They were being nice to the people who had turned their daughter away from them, who had caused their daughter to scream out in her sleep – and his wife and son were chatting happily to them!

* * *

The people at the breakfast table except one began to relax amongst each other and quiet chatter bloomed between Haruka Kanzaki and the other females in the room when Kenzo's shrapnel of anger exploded outwards, directed at the Fanelian King.

"What gives you the right young man? I will not let you marry my daughter! YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF MY DAUGHTER!"

The silence this time permeated the room thickly, but there was a knife edge of tense calm irritation issuing from Van who coolly looked at Hitomi's father and replied,

"That may be true Kanzaki-san." He murmured calmly as if discussing trade routes, "But what right do you have to speak of your daughter when you told us outright that _you_ haven't spoken to her in over four years?" His challenge was steel tipped but subtly issued.

Kenzo's blood pressure was not helping his anger at all, it was fuelling it. But before he could truly explode at the cocky young bastard in front of him, his son stood up and said clearly,

"Enough Otou-san." The red mist in front of his eyes unfogged as his son stared at him, and he could see sadness in his eyes,

"Otou-san Van-sama has offered us a place to stay, he's got people to look after her when we left her," his voice cracked as if he was an prepubescent teen. "We should be grateful to him."

Van was stunned by how calm Hitomi's brother was, but more so by how he was going against his father and siding with him?

It seemed almost as if Mamoru had already accepted Van as a _potential_ future brother-in-law.

He shook himself mentally and noticed that everyone's eyes were on him, so he spoke up, having no idea what to say.

"Kanzaki-san, if it would appease you I can contact Manabe-san in the Mystic Valley and we could visit her tomorrow? Would that seem acceptable to you?" his voice was placid, but there was an undercurrent of authority daring him to argue with him.

But his challenge was ignored by everyone else as the room exploded in sound with everyone addressing Van, not that he heard anything distinct.

He held his hands up, a universal gesture for silence which took a few seconds to be respected.

"I will write to Manabe-san saying that we will be coming tomorrow by Leviship," he then looked at Allen, "Which I hope your crew will commandeer, if they're sober enough." Allen smiled and nodded.

"Then we will be able to see Hitomi tomorrow. Hopefully that answers any questions you may have?" His authority once again was waved in front of them, signalling the end of the conversation as the quite hungry monarch began to eat.

The rest of the time at the breakfast table was far more relaxed, though a vein of excitement was clear on all the faces at the table.

Though a few were dividing their attention between anticipation of seeing Hitomi the next day and resentment at another; Hitomi's father towards Van, Mamoru at himself and Haruka at her terrible performance as a mother.

* * *

Hitomi once again, though she wasn't aware, was sitting on the stone wall in front of the shrine watching the sun set.

The purple lines along the horizon seemed to all point towards the Fanelian Capital. She groaned inwardly at herself.

How pathetic was she?

Half a decade had passed and she still couldn't get on with her life. It _had_ been five years and she still thought of one man.

Most females her age back in Japan or on the Mystic Moon even had lost their virginity and had slept with at least two or more people.

Granted Yukari wasn't the best person to estimate by after her break up with Amano, but still.

She had never looked at anyone else in _that_ way, not that she and Van had been getting hot and heavy when they had last met aged 15.

Still she couldn't seem to look at men and appraise them positively. She could see them as friends or casual acquaintances, but the term _boyfriend_ wasn't a word that ever cropped up in life.

And once again she was staring out at the Fanelian Capital, as if looking at the Castle would provide her with a route to getting to see him. But she stopped at such a thought.

And what if she did manage to persuade Kakeru to let her leave and got to Fanelia and got into see him?

What then? After the shit she had to deal with back in Japan with her family and local area, she knew that fairy tales did not exist.

Happy ever after normally meant Happy Ever Now until one of us screws up, or It's The Best I'll Get So I Should Be Happy.

It had been nine months since she had arrived and she had settled here.

So much so, she wasn't sure she wanted to leave. It was strange to admit it, to herself even that maybe it wasn't going to happen.

Her life was not going to be a Disney movie, and hadn't already by any standards.

Though she had had the stereotypical tragic past – her four Post-Gaea years hadn't been a bowl of crispy wonton soup by any means.

And her daydreams that she would never admit to, envisioning a Happy Ever After with Van Fanel may have kept her upbeat and let the bitching roll off her like water – her dream last night had certainly been entertaining to say the least. But perhaps it was time for her to grow up.

Of course Van was someone she had feelings for; her first true love.

Nonetheless she started to think, properly for once about him and she admitted that a life with him might not be perfect.

After all, he was a King.

He ruled an entire nation, and marrying him would automatically make her Queen. No matter how many girls and women even wished to be whisked away by a Handsome King, the truth was probably a lot less ideal than expected.

She remembered how Millerna had treated her at first.

The fact that she was different had made Millerna look down on her.

Five years had tempered Hitomi somewhat, but she still had a short fuse when pushed far enough, and she despised people looking down on her for no reason.

As Queen, she would have to _be_ one of those people and be surrounded with such people.

Here in the Valley, women were treated equally to men. They did their fair share of labour and there were few double standards.

Even Satsuki, who was a _single mother_ had complete respect from everyone, and no one had called her a whore. Quite a few of the people her age happily dated without restraint.

There were still moral standards, but they weren't iron clad like Asturia.

In her new home, Hitomi was seen as an important person. Not because of her Sight but as a healer.

When Ryuu had taught Takeshi various arts that would be useful in attacking someone or interrogating someone, she had learnt how to take care of people medically.

She was proud to say she was a proficient midwife and although there were other women who had been present at many births, Hitomi was the principal specialist that everyone went to first.

She had happily accepted her place in Valley life.

Compared to this, how would life be in Fanelia, as Van's wife and _the Fanelian Queen, _the two came together as a package.

A double-edged tiara one could say.

Either her life would be full of dresses and ladies-in-waiting giggling at the slightest thing; or she would be used as a tool in politics as a Seeress. Both ideas would send her into a cold sweat.

Realistically, she would never have the independence she had here in the Valley. Was _he _worth the foreseeable/possible future of being a political weapon?

_But_ was her current life better than being with someone she loved? Or _thought_ she loved after not having seen them for five years?

* * *

Her thoughts were broken by the loud cheerful voice of Takeshi, who had noticed her line of sight. In a sing-song voice he joked,

"_Ugh, he could be married or married __with children__. And every year or so think, I wonder how that Psychic chick is doing?"_

Takeshi happily sat down next to her, smiling broadly at her. He placed his elbow on his knee, fitting his chin in his palm,

"So how are we today?" he said in his best _psychotherapist _voice. Hitomi rolled her eyes and carried on staring out at the fading horizon line. So he continued,

"**Hi Everybody!"** he put on a squeak voice, and managed to coax a smile out of her and a sarcastic reply,

"_Hi Doctor Nick._"

He smiled again at her.

"Dreaming of Prince Charming again?" Hitomi turned to him and he saw that for once she wasn't happy or _alright._ She looked sad, scared even.

He faltered. Normally Hitomi had a wistful smile in the King's direction. Sometimes sad, but she was usually happy in looking out at the Fanelian landscape below the mountain peaks.

And her aura.

He felt his happy mood deflated by the darker hues in her usually sparking emerald aura. She was sad about something.

And not her usual melancholy surrounding the geographically small, but politically vast distance between her and the Fanelian King.

So being the person he was, he put an arm round her shoulder and pulled her next to him.

He remembered being alone in a cell during the Destiny War and the solitary confinement unnerved him more than anything else.

So when uncomfortable or upset he went to others for comfort.

And thus he provided comfort by being close to people and hugging them. Some narrow minded idiots might call him _gay_ or _girly_ for doing so, but he didn't care.

Hitomi relaxed next to him and in a whisper, murmured,

"Do you think we did the right thing?"

"What thing?" he asked confused, "Shaving Amano's eyebrows when he was drunk last month?" he grinned and felt Hitomi smile through her aura.

"I think it was the right thing to do! He needed a style change." He cheekily continued and was heartened when Hitomi laughed quietly.

He wasn't so heartened by her elbowing his ribs.

"I mean coming here, moron. Do you think I should have left Japan?" Takeshi looked down at whom he saw as his little sister, baffled. She had rejoiced when he had discussed returning to Gaea. And now?

"What's wrong Mimi? Has something happened? Did you _see_ something?" he asked cautiously, knowing the subject of her visions during the war was not a viable conversation topic.

Hitomi shrugged,

"I just don't know anymore. If it's all worth it. I'm happy here with you all. But ultimately, I'm here to see Van. Can I really believe in the Happily Ever After deal happening? For all I know he could be betrothed to some prissy little princess, and breaking such an engagement would cause war."

"You sound like a twisted fantasy epic, the hero and heroine always get together in the end!" he asserted cheerfully.

Hitomi looked up at him and smiled forlornly,

"In books yes, but this is real life. It's been five years.

"Who's to say if we do find each other and _do_ get married that we won't end up hating one another in a year's time.

"We spent three months in each other's company. Most of that time was spent running from people wanting to char our backsides and Van fighting Zaibach troops. It wasn't the romance that Dryden painted it out to be. If anything, we pissed each other off. And look what happened, I ran to Allen."

She laughed sardonically,

"Even when I left, there was no declaration of waiting for each other." She wistfully remembered her words.

Takeshi sat silently, knowing that listening was better than talking.

It was rare for Hitomi to speak of the Destiny War, so what had brought this on? Still he listened carefully. As his adopted little sister, he took his sibling duties seriously.

Unlike that brat from the Mystic Moon.

Hitomi sighed,

"I just…I just think that perhaps…"

"Perhaps?" Takeshi suggested, feeling that he did need to speak, stopping Hitomi from sounding like a scratched record.

"Perhaps I should stay here."

"Huh?" Takeshi replied eloquently, his face like an online emoticon. Hitomi smiled gently at his expression and breathed deeply before continuing,

"_Perhaps_ I should just live here and forget about Van. Get a reality check and find happiness here." She stared critically at the last slivers of sunlight, noticing the rigid posture of her second older-who acted more like a younger-brother.

* * *

Takeshi was stunned by Hitomi's words. Entirely shocked by her admission.

However, he was unable to say anything as Hitomi's phone rang as it had earlier that morning.

He rolled his eyes.

It was probably their friends from the Mystic Moon ringing to inform Hitomi of the latest gossip.

He sighed inwardly.

Hitomi had opened up to him and would probably never mention this again. She would just internalize as always, and he would find taming a dragon easier than trying to get her to talk about it.

Hitomi flipped her phone open, expecting to hear from one of the few friends she had on the Mystic Moon continuing from their morning conversation about how Yukari had a new boyfriend.

Still it was nice to catch up with her friends.

She almost dropped the phone in shock when she heard the voice coming out of the receiver.

"Hello?" she chirruped happily,

"Hitomi?" A male voice mumbled, almost apologetically. She froze.

"Who is it?" Takeshi asked, wondering why Hitomi hadn't started a barrage of questions towards whomever was on the phone. He almost fell off the stone wall in surprise when she spoke,

"Mamoru?" she murmured, dazed.

"Nee-chan." He croaked back. Hitomi's mind automatically rushed to the first plausible conclusion, but not the right one.

"Are you okay? What happened? Are Tou-san and Kaa-chan okay? Mamoru? What's wrong?" her voice managed to produce, even though fear was seeping into her mind.

A bark of laughter slowed her heart back to its usual rhythm as Mamoru responded,

"We're fine. We're okay."

"Thank Buddha." Hitomi breathed. She looked at Takeshi and smiled gently,

"So what's up?" She ventured cautiously, wondering why her brother was calling her after four years of no contact.

"We're in Fanelia Hitomi!" He said happily.

This time Hitomi was not shocked by his revelation, or excited. Instead her brow hardened along with her voice.

"Oh, really? You're in Fanelia?" she said aloud so Takeshi could hear, causing him to stare at her and the phone. He then scowled.

"Yes! Me, Otou-san and Okaa-chan!" Mamoru replied happily.

"I hear the weather's nice there this time of year." Hitomi replied, her tone spiked with sarcasm.

The breathing on the other end faltered slightly so Hitomi continued in a tired, and slightly patronising tone.

"Mamoru, I taught you how to prank call. It should be believable first off and second, you've just spent at least 30,000¥ on an international call."

"I'm not lying Hitomi! We're really here! With Van!"

Takeshi heard the young man's loud voice and saw Hitomi's eyes narrow angrily,

"That's nice Mamoru, say hello for me won't you." She said coldly, then continued

"Why don't you try ringing someone who'll think you're funny? Because I don't." And with that she shut her phone.

Almost immediately it started to ring again and Hitomi switched it off. She growled and threw it into the grass in front of her. Takeshi gently pulled her up by the arm and murmured quietly,

"Come on, dinner should be ready. Amano's cooking pasta tonight, _al dente_ too!" Hitomi nodded and sniffled slightly, tears forming either side of her nose. Takeshi inwardly yelled at Hitomi's biological brother for being an arse, he was not worthy of her tears after everything that had happened.

Only a few miles away Mamoru sat on his bed, staring at his phone. He wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.

* * *

A/N: Review please! Sorry it's been ages once again! I apologise. I got caught up in a great deal of excitement when I found out I got into the university of my choice woo hoo! Next chapter: Van and Hitomi meet _for real._ Seriously! Review and it will happen sooner!

Special Huggles and Thanks to InLuvWidVan for all her encouragement, and Jav-chan for all her threats!

Peace

Sina xx


	7. Expectations

* * *

A/N: Chapter dedication to Darkang128 – for their sheer dedication!! And Jav-chan was the fiftieth reviewer! Annnd to Shaif for helping me out like always :D!

Over 2,000 hits! Woo! I love it! Thanks to everyone who reads! Reviews are better though, I want to know what you think, like and dislike! I can't change unless you tell me to!

Thanks are now at the end of the chapter.

Please check out my poll on my Profile to vote for who you want to have a love interest!

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* * *

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Where we were last time:

_Only a few miles away Mamoru sat on his bed, staring at his phone. He wasn't going to get any sleep tonight._

Chapter 6: Expectations

Hitomi was called away after dinner as one of the village children had been vomiting violently. So in her capacity as chief healer of the village, she trooped off. This left behind the three adult occupants of the Shrine and a rather sleepy child.

"Shi-nii-san? Will you tell me a story?" Mayu snuggled against Takeshi lounging on the grass behind the shrine. He smiled and nodded,

"Ok, but first you have to get ready for bed. Go on." He gestured as she got up and went into the shrine, yawning as she did.

"What happened?" Takeshi turned round to see his sandy haired adopted _brother_ exit the shrine and lie on the grass in front of him. Amano turned his head to the side and asked him again,

"What happened Shi? You and Hitomi looked like someone had told you the ending to Death Note." He joked and then stopped at the unusually troubled expression on his best friend's face.

Takeshi didn't respond verbally this time so Amano lightly punched his leg, causing Takeshi to look directly at him,

"What?" he asked, sounded harassed. Amano sighed,

"I'll set Kiki on you." He joked. Takeshi rolled his eyes,

"What is she? Your own personal pitbull?"

"Dude, what pissed you off? Amano asked none too gently. Takeshi sighed,

"Hitomi had a phone call."

"From…" Came a female voice as a blonde shock of hair appeared at the door.

Satsuki by no means completely understood the technology that her three shrinemates/family had brought with them but she generally coped with it. Although a shrill ringing sound from the _mobile phones_ did not amuse her at dawn, especially when they broke off a highly entertaining dream containing a very hot male.

Still she knew that the various gadgets were important to her new family, so she accepted them.

She had even found a few of them slightly useful, such as the object that took lifelike pictures of things. And she liked the songs Hitomi played from a box at times, but the pictures they could make were the most amazing thing to her.

She had a few in her room, and one she had sent via Kakeru to the Fanelian King.

Hopefully Hitomi wouldn't be too mad when she found out.

It wasn't like the King was stalking Hitomi really, though his expression the night before when he had returned to Kakeru's had been exultant and knocked her slightly off balance. Granted he looked a year or two older than when they had last met, but the look on his face enforced her belief she was doing the right thing.

She wanted a happy ending, and if _she_ wasn't going to have one, then damn it all Hitomi was going to get one.

She dearly hoped that the Fanelian King had kept his male urges in some check as she didn't think Hitomi would be too happy to discover she had gotten pregnant in a supposed _dream_ of all things.

She cleared her mind of such thoughts and focused on the worry painted across her younger cousin's face.

"So? Who called?" Amano persisted. Takeshi could only see a bad atmosphere crackling over him if he didn't say anything. And if Amano went to Hitomi…well Escaflowne knows what she would do. He recalled a variation of _angry and violent Hitomi _moments. He sighed and opened his mouth,

"Her brother called."

Even Satsuki knew that Hitomi's family was not a welcome conversation topic in their house, bearing in mind what had happened. So she bravely asked,

"Why did he call?"

"Are they okay?" Amano chipped in; his tone grave as he knew the pain of loss well and Hitomi had been through enough crap without her family dying on her.

Takeshi scowled at how Amano's line of thought followed Hitomi's. Both his adopted siblings cared a great deal for people, and worried about them even when these people were arseholes, Hitomi's family being the obvious example. And doing so only got them hurt.

He sighed heavily,

"The little shit called Hitomi to say he was in Fanelia with her parents,"

Amano's eyebrows shot up and Satsuki had to grab hold of the door frame she leant against as she swayed in shock. Her forehead crinkled in comprehension. She _had_ seen a pillar of light on the night of the Festival, when she had returned to the Valley.

So Hitomi's family were on Gaea? She pondered how that had happened and if their arrival had occurred on purpose. _Wily old dragon_ she thought. She was cut across by Amano's voice.

"Fanelia? What? They're here?" his shock clear in his progressively squeaky voice.

Takeshi rolled his eyes, scoffing at Amano's gullibility.

"Of course they're not in Fanelia. The little bastard was prank calling her." He growled out, temper rising as he recalled Hitomi's expression deadening.

"Prank calling?" Satsuki asked, not aware of the expression.

"It's a way of mocking someone on a phone call." Amano's expression was grim, which told Satsuki this_ prank call_ was not a good thing.

"But what if it wasn't a prank call?" Satsuki carefully asked, trying to turn their views around if Hitomi's family were on Gaea.

Takeshi scoffed,

"How is that at all possible? Why in the name of Escaflowne would Hitomi's family come to Gaea? _For a holiday?_" he mocked, still agitated. Amano sighed at how easily Takeshi was getting rattled by it.

"How did Hitomi take it?" he asked gently, hoping to steer Takeshi away from getting overly angry.

"She wasn't happy." Takeshi's rage subsided as he remembered the look on Hitomi's face. His voice faltered,

"She looked so afraid when she realised who he was. Terrified that something had happened to her parents." He sighed as he continued,

"Even when she realised he was pranking her, and she yelled at him, I know she was upset. Her own brother after four years still treats her like shit."

"Why did he call her? Surely he wouldn't prank her after not speaking to her for four years?" Amano queried.

Satsuki noticed Amano's tone and probed subtly,

"What do you mean? Are you saying he had a reason for calling her?"

* * *

Takeshi saw his cousin's aura pulsate. What was wrong with her?

For the past few days Satsuki's aura had shifted constantly as if a part of her was restless for some reason. Just after she had returned from Asturia, she had been acting differently.

Takeshi pondered.

Had she met someone Hitomi knew? Takeshi stilled, shocked completely by the idea that Satsuki could have met the Fanelian King if at all possible.

What would the man do finding out that the Valley, and his brother foremost had technically _hidden_ Hitomi from him? After all Kakeru had said that Hitomi should stay until the time was right. When would that be? Nine months surely was long enough, not that Takeshi wanted to let his sister go.

But how would Fanel react upon hearing that Hitomi had only been a few miles apart for over nine months?

He knew the King was a Draconian. Some people in the Valley here saw them as kin, a race that once were related to the Mystics.

Others feared them.

_The Draconians were a cursed race_ he had been told as a child, recalling the story of Atlantis' destruction because of greed and an overwhelming greed for power and status. And now one was King of Fanelia he thought sardonically.

He remembered his brother returning to the ruins of their old village after the war saying the Fanelian King was granting them land in the mountains to the west of his capital city.

So had _he_ seen the Mystics as kinfolk to him? Was that the reason for his generosity?

The King had given them a new home. Would he take it away in anger when realising Hitomi had been so near to him? Would he punish the Valley for keeping his beloved from him?

He shook his head.

Van Fanel was a King, not a tyrant like Dornkirk had been back in the day. He assumed that Fanel was a good person, after all he was a hero of the Destiny War and had freed Zaibach and the Valley from the Sorcerers' torturous hold.

Both he and Hitomi had unwittingly saved the Valley whilst trying to save each other.

A fact that still shocked Hitomi, who constantly and vehemently denied such an idea. Nonetheless she was still held in high regard amongst the villagers, which thoroughly embarrassed his overly humble little sister.

He was pulled out of his own imagined dilemma by a speeding bundle of nightgown and blonde hair tumbling against him, knocking him over with a loud screech,

"STORYTIME!"

* * *

All four occupants of the garden laughed at Mayu's sudden entrance, all tension shattering apart. Satsuki walked over and picked up her daughter, smiling.

"Was there a need to knock over Takeshi? Hmm?" She teased the girl squirming in her arms,

"Mama don't tickle me!" She giggled, "I want a story!" She pouted, arms trying to reach out towards Takeshi, who grinned.

"Of course there'll be a story! But bedtime stories are told when you're in bed, ne Mayu?"

Satsuki put her daughter down and took her hand, as Mayu excitedly pulled her into the house towards her own room to get her bedtime story as fast as possible. Mother and daughter happily chatted away indistinctly as they entered the house.

Amano turned back to Takeshi as the smile was slowly erased off his face, he sighed.

"Hey, don't worry about it Shi. Hitomi can take care of herself, she'll be alright." He assured him. Takeshi looked at the other man's appeasing smile and nodded.

He could gnaw on his liver another time over the possibility of Fanel knowing about Hitomi being in the Valley and Hitomi's sudden wariness at leaving the Valley or even meeting Fanel.

And her snotty little brother's phone call did _bugger all_ to help the situation.

"Oi! Storytime! Get in here!" Satsuki's voice rumbled out into the garden causing both men to laugh, get up and walk into the house.

To both men's surprise, they found Satsuki half-sitting on Mayu's bed, part of the covers over her as well. Then on the floor beside Mayu's bed was a smiling Hitomi looking more relaxed than she had after dinner.

"Aren't you going to sit down? Mayu's waiting for her story!" Hitomi mischievously chided. Takeshi felt his anger lessen somewhat at Hitomi's smile and relaxed aura. So he sat down at the foot of Mayu's bed and with the help of Hitomi and Amano he started from where he left off the night before,

"And Hyuuga Hinata's name appeared next to Hyuuga Neji's in the Chuunin exam preliminaries…"

* * *

Mayu had fallen asleep fairly early into the chapter of the Hyuuga fight leaving her storytellers to go about their evening chores.

Satsuki went out to check up on Hana being only three weeks away from delivery and Amano went to find a ladder to check the roof tiles that he thought he had heard rattling the night before.

Takeshi followed Hitomi into the kitchen who was clearing up plates and cutlery that hadn't been put away after dinner and checking the pantry stock.

"Mimi?" he cautiously asked. Hitomi looked up in response, her face awaiting the rest of the question,

"Are you okay?" he asked, mentally hitting himself for asking such a stupid question, outwardly wincing in preparation for a sarcastic retort.

To his complete surprise Hitomi sighed and put the dishcloth down by the sink. She leant against the hard surface and smiled slightly,

"I've been better." She admitted. She breathed deeply and opened her heart once more to her adopted brother,

"I think the combination of my family and Van was too much for me. Both issues are painful right now so together they…"

"…Are like a colonic irrigation combined?" he probed jokingly, smiling at her eye rolling in amusement and annoyance,

"Why do you have to be disgusting Shi?" she asked, smiling once again. He grinned mindlessly,

"Someone has to be, you're all _so_ nice. I'm just keeping the balance by being a…"

"Childish idiot?" Hitomi teased.

Takeshi let out a bark of laughter at her comment.

She must be feeling slightly better to be insulting him jovially. All was well, or at least as well as things could be with the problems and inner torments they all had.

Task of cheering up Hitomi completed, Takeshi decided to change subject.

"You know what I was thinking?" he asked hypothetically, to which Hitomi replied,

"How best to get the youngest Utada daughter into bed without her father knowing?"

Takeshi grinned at her words, his expressing changing to that of realisation,

"Hey! That's not a bad idea!" Smirking at Hitomi's groan of annoyance he continued,

"I was thinking…"

"Don't hurt yourself too much Shi!" she mocked, smirking back. He stuck his tongue out at her and continued,

"We should build a barbeque!" he watched Hitomi stop washing the sideboard next to the sink and murmur thoughtfully,

"That's not a bad idea, ask Amano what he thinks. It'd be nice to have a barbeque outside when summer comes."

Neither person thought of whether Hitomi would still _be_ in the Valley come summer.

* * *

Van smiled as he left the maze of corridors and stepped out into the bright, dazzling sunshine. The terrace that had been built with holding leviships in mind was dwarfed by the Crusade humming genially in front of him.

It was Gaddes who spotted him first.

A loud whistle pierced the air and Van's gaze swung to the left of the leviship as a group of eight men jumped off various parts of the leviship to face him and bow extravagantly, all down on one knee as if pledging fealty to him.

"Your Majesty." Gaddes called out in his loud baritone, causing Van to roll his eyes.

As he did so he noticed that by the walkway up to the Leviship's entrance stood the Kanzaki family minus one looking slightly nervous at their mode of transportation.

He pondered for a split-second what methods of transportation were used on the Mystic Moon before he acknowledged the crew of Allen's leviship with a grin and a wave.

Before he could approach the Kanzaki family by the steps up to the entrance, a head of pink hair popped out of the doorframe and yelled down to him and his three alien guests,

"Are you coming or what?" Merle grinned eagerly.

Van rolled his eyes and gestured at Merle to get inside, which she did with a cheeky smirk, but not before saying in her loudest voice,

"Are you joining us or are you flying ahead Van-sama?" Van narrowed his eyes at his adopted sister who had gratefully disappeared.

He turned to the Kanzaki family and saw bewilderment which was probably due to her last comment – he wondered whether people from the Mystic Moon saw wings as a curse?

Though from what he remembered Hitomi had called him an _angel was it_? He also saw worry and on Hitomi's father's face fear at the size of the Leviship.

He calmly approached Hitomi's family but was stopped by Gaddes who teasingly asked,

"Buttering up the in-laws Your Majesty?" Van turned and glared at him, his face heating up; then turning back expecting an explosion from Hitomi's father.

However he found a stoic expression on his face, a knowing smile on her mother's and Mamoru had a look that reminded him very much of Merle, a grin that made him want to run for cover.

He coughed nervously and said gently,

"I assume that you do not have Leviships on the Mystic Moon?" Haruka shook her head gently, and Mamoru piped up,

"It looks like a Zeppelin, ne? You know from the Indiana Jones movies!"

He turned to his parents for confirmation and saw only worry and slight terror on their faces. He rolled his eyes but froze in fear when his father spoke up, waiting for an insult to fly at the King.

To his and the others' shock, Kenzo did not insult the King but managed to ask timidly, and slightly incredulously,

"What powers the ship? How does it fly?"

If he hadn't been Hitomi's father, and he hadn't been subconsciously vying for approval, Van would have laughed at the way Kenzo Kanzaki was almost trembling at the idea of travelling by Leviship.

He smiled gently, biting the inside of his cheek to explain,

"We use Levistones as a power source which enables the vessel to fly. There is a lot more to it, perhaps when we get on board you can ask Allen, Kanzaki-san. I assure you it is perfectly safe." He saw Haruka smile at him benignly in thanks.

"After you," he murmured gesturing to the gangway leading up to the entrance.

Not surprisingly Mamoru eagerly bounded up the walkway and turned halfway up to his parents.

Haruka took her husband's hand in his and muttered gently,

"It'll be fine dear, just like flying on an aeroplane. Hitomi's travelled on these and she was fine, wasn't she?" She looked to Van for confirmation who nodded wordlessly as if mentioning Hitomi would help her father get on the craft.

To his complete surprise, Kenzo nodded and gripping his wife's hand as hard as he could they walked up the gangway and crossed the entrance.

Van smiled as he followed them, his thoughts shattered by Millerna who approached him without him noticing and murmured,

"Do you think Hitomi will be that influential to you Van?" The smirk on his friend's face was luminous, and he noticed with narrowed eyes that Merle was smirking at him, sitting next to Celena whose expression mirrored the other ladies'. Dryden had a look on his face that clearly said, _wait until you're in my position._

Van rolled his eyes.

However much had happened in the past few days, all the negative energy that had built up between Hitomi's family and his friends had evaporated at the expectation of visiting Hitomi.

In consideration her family had spent a year or so less time away from her, but they all held the wish to see her again.

Van may have scoffed at Dryden's calling Hitomi _The Winged Goddess_ of legend, but in some ways he was right. Hitomi had brought the group of Gaea people together during the war and enabled then to form strong bonds that had endured the trials of war.

She did seem to have some _magical_ quality that connected people regardless of class or prejudice.

And even now Hitomi had brought him and his friends together with her family; both groups separated from her and now seeking her out.

He smiled at how the Kanzaki family's eyes lit up at the layout of the Leviship.

"Why it's like a house in the sky!" Haruka murmured astonished, causing Millerna and he to bite their tongues to stop them from laughing as they had been raised to do.

Merle and Celena giggled delightedly at her amazement and to Van's surprise, Allen reappeared from bossing his men about and offered to take the Kanzaki family on a tour of the Leviship.

"To counter their fears," he explained smoothly.

* * *

Van felt a tinge of jealousy at his words.

He shook himself mentally at the childish thought, but deep down he felt envy at how the Kanzaki family were openly impressed with The Crusade.

And yet he, _a King_, who had given them rooms to stay in his Palace had not had such an effect; or at least none that he had seen himself.

He was pulled out of his childish thoughts by Dryden's attempt at comforting,

"Don't worry Van. Allen's not trying to impress her family, he's always like this." Van scowled at the window to his right as if it had made an embarrassing comment about him being a jealous child.

Merle then piped up,

"Anyway, I'm sure Hitomi's brother would prefer to have you marry Hitomi than Allen." Raucous laughter filled the chamber as Van scowled further, even though the idea pleased him a great deal more than he could possibly admit.

The majority of the journey was spent in quiet chatter amongst the Gaean party, cheerfully discussing Hitomi and how long it had been and what they imagined her to be like.

And when Hitomi's family eventually rejoined the party, Van's envy dissipated slightly.

He saw that even though Haruka Kanzaki was happily chatting to Allen about the leviship and how wonderfully furnished it was, leading to Allen graciously accepting her comments; the other members of Hitomi's family seemed almost irritated by Allen and his manner.

Van couldn't blame them in the slightest.

He inwardly smirked, as a King wasn't supposed to gloat over others' failings, especially when one had failings themselves. Still Mamoru looked as if he wanted to smash his head against a wall and Kenzo looked even more displeased than he had with Van.

This idea made Van's mood even more buoyant than before.

Van had nothing against Allen whatsoever, or rather didn't hold much against Allen.

He was a good friend and someone you count on to watch your back. He had helped Van _and Hitomi_ a great deal during the war and continued to help Van after. But the rivalry they had still existed, resting below the surface.

His eyes met Dryden's who smiled sympathetically. He recalled that he wasn't the only one to suffer at Allen's ability to make every female fall in love with him.

He nodded back and thought of how Hitomi had chosen him over Allen, as well as how she had reacted to him a few nights' previous.

A smile appeared on his face and a slight blush as he heard Merle ask happily,

"Van-sama, could you please tell us how you met Hitomi-nee-chan again?" Merle laughed at his reddening face, unaware it was to do with another encounter he had had.

Before he could even refuse his request, a wave of voices crashed against his ear drums, clamouring for the story.

After all he had been the one to bring her to Gaea, to involve her with their world. A small stirring of pride erupted in his chest and with a wistful smile he spoke in clearer detail than a few nights before of how he met his _hopefully_ future bride.

* * *

Hitomi sighed as her family bustled around her like mad people.

Takeshi had promised he would shepherd the village goats whilst Tatsuya was resting his broken foot, caused by the last drinking saga and indirectly Takeshi himself.

Amano was helping the Utada family build a barn in the fields for the coming winter to store crops.

And Satsuki was meeting Ryuu-jii-chan by the lake for training, taking Mayu along with her to encourage her daughter's potential as a Mystic.

Even though it had been the night before last, Hitomi was still dazed by the potency of her dream involving her own _Prince Charming_ as Takeshi often mocked.

She had dreamt of Van before, and being a female with fully functioning pituitary gland, she had plenty of hormones that seeped into her nights.

But this, this was different. Completely different.

She had woken up the next morning reaching out for him. And when realising he wasn't there it had hurt a lot more than it usually did when waking up and accepting that her dreams were nothing more than that.

A hand messing up her already tangled hair broke her from her seeping melancholy as Takeshi mumbled morosely,

"I'm going to the fields, stupid Tatsuya breaking his bloody foot. What is _he?_ A doll?" Hitomi smiled slightly at his annoyance and responded,

"The goats like you Shi, and it looks like it'll be a nice day out, you could get a good tan! Make some ladies swoon!" She grinned cheekily at Takeshi's rapid descent into childish scowling.

He growled something and left the kitchen.

A few minutes later Hitomi was on her own with a mostly clean kitchen, so she put away the rest of the objects littering the room and went to bathe.

* * *

Hitomi had gotten over her sadness of the night previous with her brother's phone call and her uncomfortable realisations about Van.

She had achieved a blissful hour lying in suitably hot water, feeling completely clean and almost aglow.

Upon leaving their own little bathhouse/room she set to the various morning chores that needed doing in her most comfortable pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

The silence and isolation in the house was oddly consoling to Hitomi, giving her time to order her thoughts over various topics that had been worrying her.

The conversation last night with her brother replayed itself over and over again like a broken answer machine and she remembered she had left her phone where she had thrown it the night before. Sighing, she put on a pair of flat shoes and left the shrine, in search of her phone.

She found her phone in a matter of minutes as the silver box contrasted well in the grass and the sun shone on it directly.

_The gods wanted me to find it_ she thought to herself ironically. She walked back to the stone wall that outlined the path back up to the shrine and stopped.

She could hear a noise, a low humming noise almost like an aeroplane flying overhead. She smiled to herself, aware that aeroplanes didn't exist on this world.

She looked up into the clear blue sky and didn't see anything.

Not even a boy with wings. A _man_ with wings.

It has been six years almost, she thought sadly. She shook her head, vowing to not get depressed by things she couldn't change.

Nonetheless she could feel it in the air, something was happening.

She felt compelled to go to Kakeru and Hana's residence. Guided by the eyes of fate as Ryuu-Jii-chan would call it, she strolled briskly down the sloping path until it reached the main road. She then turned onto the other path and walked uphill towards the house.

Ominous was the feeling she could sense coming from the house.

She walked warily up the lane that wound past various types of trees, and even the alpine scent couldn't calm her like it usually lulled her.

Had Hana gone into labour prematurely? Had she hurt herself and was panicking?

From what Satsuki had told her, pregnancy was both a joyful and terrifying time. Not knowing what movement was good and what wasn't would easily turn Hana from a peaceful woman into a wreck.

Hitomi stilled herself.

If Hana was indeed hurt or had gone into labour three weeks early, then Hitomi would do everything she could to ensure the baby lived. Hana was a strong woman and Hitomi was not a sloppy midwife by any means.

She had sped up and reached the front door without paying attention to the various chatter coming from round the side of the house.

She stood in the front hall and felt the anticipation practically crackle in the air around her.

A small smile appeared on her face as it was a cheerful anticipation not fearful. Perhaps Kiki had sensed it and arrived before her, soothing the oncoming hurricane that was a pregnant worried Hana.

She sent up a silent prayer to the Gods that the labour would be easy and quick. Hana could have the patience of a saint with people that would set even her teeth on edge. But her pregnancy had awoken her increasingly shrinking temper, so Hitomi decided she _would_ speed up and aid Kiki in taking the brunt of her anger.

Hitomi took two steps at a time, following the thread of anticipation that dangled in front of her. She reached a corner and spun round it, hearing voices ahead of her.

For some reason she stopped at the door.

She put a hand to it, hesitating.

Why did she feel the need to mentally prepare herself before entering the room? Was it because she would see something _she_ wanted and didn't have? A Husband and Wife about to have a child?

And _she_, who had never had a proper relationship, was nowhere near that stage.

No husband, not even a prospective _potential_ suitor.

Sure she joked with the men in the village who tried to flirt, but deep down she only saw one man in the role of Husband/Boyfriend/Body pillow.

And where was he?

Did he have any knowledge of her? No.

She gritted her teeth at her misery creeping up on her constantly.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and strode forward with a smile on her face.

It crumbled into complete shock as she saw a crowd of people who _definitely_ didn't live in the Valley. And a dark haired blur rushed at her yelling loudly,

"Hitomi!"

* * *

Van's heart was pounding as Kakeru guided them to a comfortably furnished sitting room, having calmly welcomed everyone into his home and introduced them to his heavily pregnant and heavily baffled wife.

Everyone seemed restless sitting there as Kakeru calmly asked after each person's health.

Ever the perfect host, Kakeru seemed to purposely ignore the reason they were all here.

Hitomi's name or location or _anything_ was not mentioned whatsoever.

Even his wife didn't say a word, though he assumed she was shocked by the amount of Royalty sitting in her house and chatting pleasantly as if it was the norm.

He was trying his very hardest not to ask where Hitomi was or when she would arrive.

He had no need to as Hitomi's father burst out in his least rudest eruption since meeting Van.

"Excuse me Manabe-san," Van was slightly surprised by the man's politeness in addressing Kakeru in his urgency,

"Yes Kanzaki-san?" Kakeru replied, cut off by Kenzo speedily,

"I wish to see my daughter. When will that be possible?"

The room fell into silence at his request as the topic of Hitomi was broached. Everyone's eyes burying into Kakeru's face and expression.

He smiled gently,

"Hitomi is on her way as we speak, that I can assure you. In fact I think I heard the front door open," he left off.

Chatter burst in the room between the ladies both Gaean and from the Mystic Moon.

Van stayed silent.

And then the door opened. Van could only stare, struck by the woman entering the room. He immediately noticed that she wore snugly fit dark blue trousers which Mamoru had called jeans and a green t-shirt with some design on it.

But his vision was blocked by Mamoru who ran past up and leapt at his sister,

"Hitomi!"

* * *

Hitomi was shocked by the person clinging to her, who was male and taller than her. With dark hair.

_Van?_

And then he pulled back, still with his arms around her.

Her eyes widened as she whispered,

"Mamoru?" The boy grinned at her and pulled her back against him,

"Nee-chan!" he said joyously.

Hitomi was unable to respond being shell shocked. And then they were joined by a pink haired female feline who shoved the boy aside and crushed Hitomi to her,

"Hitomi! You're here!" came the squeal and an even more shocked,

"Merle?" was Hitomi's only response.

Merle grinned at her, and was about to launch into a torrent of words when a third cheerful voice joined the congregation,

"Don't break her Merle, she's not going anywhere!" Hitomi looked over Merle's shoulder and saw a beaming Millerna who waved at her gleefully.

Her eyes swept the room properly and she smiled at the Asturians and gaped at the two non-Gaeans in the room,

"Mother? Father?" she murmured, astonished as they smiled at her so happily she felt lost, trying to remember the last time they had reacted positively to her.

She looked past them for whoever else was there and stopped on the dark haired man nearest to her, the only one with dark red eyes staring back at her.

"Van."

Was the only word she was capable of, but it was very potent.

Both Mamoru and Merle stepped aside almost automatically, aware that they had been overshadowed as Van stood up and walked towards her.

She could only stare at him, wondering if it was another dream, then it was the most bizarre she had ever had.

He smiled at her and his hand moved slightly, reaching upwards to grasp her hand or touch her face. He didn't make it as her expression changed and hardened.

Hitomi could feel it, echoing off him.

The pendant around his neck only magnified it, making it ring in her ears.

_He knew._

He knew she had been here, and had since she had arrived.

So why hadn't he come?

Was he that busy?

Or was he no longer interested?

So why did he have the nerve to come here acting innocent?

She glared at him, clenching and unclenching her fists as she spoke with the calmest tone she could manage, she hissed,

"Be grateful my parents are here, or I would gladly slap the seven hells out of you!"

She didn't need to slap him as her words had the same effect on him physically as he recoiled in shock.

What did she mean? Why was she threatening to slap him?

Neither person noticed Kakeru stand up as they were too busy staring at one another. One in shock and bewilderment, the other in barely concealed anger.

"Hitomi, please calm yourself. And show some respect to His Majesty." Kakeru coolly issued and paid no attention to his adopted sister's glare on him.

She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the door behind her swinging open violently and hitting the wall.

* * *

Takeshi entered the room and saw his brother and the Fanelian King standing up, facing _his_ little sister, whose aura was a ghastly sight.

He yelled angrily at his brother,

"You bastard! You sick bastard! You're no better than the damn Sorcerers who tortured us for their sick amusement. Is this a game to you?"

His eyes turned to the Fanelian King and he bowed mockingly,

"Your Majesty. I hope we have provided you with the amusement you desired." Hitomi swung round to him and could sense he had realised what she had.

He had _not_ been sent to the Mystic Moon to guide Hitomi as a seer and bring her to the Valley to help them.

He had been a pawn in the King's attempt at procuring Hitomi again.

He didn't need to look at Hitomi's face to see her anger. But he could see the pain in her aura plainly.

"Mimi, Ana's gone into labour. Kiki said to come get you. The baby's in breech?" he finished puzzled.

He noted with a sly smile that her pain faded slightly and relief appeared.

Hitomi thanked the gods for such a chance and nodded at Takeshi.

She turned back to face _him_ and the others in the room,

"Your Majesty," she nodded in acknowledgement, and then looked past him,

"Your Majesties, Sir Knight, Ladies, Mother, Father, Mamoru. It has been a pleasure to see you all once again. Please excuse me as I must take my leave."

Van was floored by how noble and courteous Hitomi appeared to them, even though her smile was blatantly forced towards him.

Why was she angry was the only thought running through his mind.

He was barely able to process that she then turned and left the room.

* * *

Thanks to:

Inda – Okay! It's here. Thank you for the amazing suggestions! Did you like the suspense?

Darkang128 – Pen chewing! Wow! True dedication! Thank you!!

Mysisterisasquijum – awww love for Mamoru! He will be very useful in the next few chapters.

Lil' Dinky – Hitomi won't screw with Van, well not in _that_ way grins, but there needs to be angst to make it all better right?

thepinkmartini – Well I'm sure they'll be friends again soon! Lol Thanks, it is starting to come together!

InLuvWidVan – the Kanzakis will be important in the next chapters, rebuilding bonds! And Kanzaki senior may or may not get his comeuppance xx

Jav-chan – Loving the compliments!! And I love the pop culture refs myself! And I liked the JR ref too!

Sneedlle – Yay! Please sick Dilly on me! No problems here! giggles

Tigerlily91

Mishka2 – thank you very much!!

KyriaHitomi – Thank you very much! I'm looking forward to it too! grins

YamiYugi342

* * *

A/N:

Well? Please let me know what you think is good/bad/needs explaining/changing! Criticism is always welcome!

Until next time

Sina xx


	8. Shellshock

A/N: Here's the next one! Please let me know if you're confused. That's all you need to say so I can clarify! Love to my nanny for finding the chapter title.

Dedicated to Jav-chan as a belated birthday present and in congratulations!

_**I apologise deeply for it took ages!**_ Writer's block is a pain in the ass and I've been overblown by huge amounts of new fic ideas (don't worry I will wait till I finish this! XD) And please visit my profile to vote on a very important part of the fic!!

60 reviews! Yay! Over 3,000 views! o.O"

**

* * *

**

Where we were last:

_Van was floored by how noble and courteous Hitomi appeared to them, even though her smile was blatantly forced towards him. Why was she angry, was the only thought running through his mind and was barely able to process that she then turned and left the room._

* * *

Chapter 7: Shellshock

Six years and she was still running.

This time Takeshi _had_ given her an excuse, but she wasn't pleased by any means.

She had sensed that Van had known she had been in the Valley for nine months and had engineered this whole thing.

_He_ was the reason she was here. The reason Takeshi had come to the Mystic Moon.

She remembered Takeshi's explanation for arriving on the Mystic Moon.

About how the Mystics had felt her presence during the war and decided that she was important in Gaea's destiny and thus needed to be protected and guided.

Hitomi had scoffed at his words.

In fact she had told him to cram it up his backside, hoping that such offensive words would shock him and turn him away.

Even though a miniscule part of her had winced in sadness and grief at the remembrance of someone else who truly thought she needed protection. And had said so.

* * *

She could still recall instantly the adrenaline speed through her veins as if it were an illegal drug when she saw dark messy hair and heard a male voice with accented and halting Japanese struggle to say,

"Mystic Moon."

She could evoke mentally and physically the vomit that threatened to hit the floor when said male turned round and had hazel eyes, not red.

The hatred that filled her at that moment shocked her even now. The idea that someone had given her false hope, had reminded her of something she wanted to forget had riled her beyond her usually calm temperament.

The look of awe on his face and slight spiritual adoration when Amano had introduced her to him had made her want to give violence a try.

And then came the _Holy One _and _Tsubasa No Kami_ tumbling out of his mouth.

In the end it was the smirk on Amano's face that had calmed her down. And within weeks Takeshi had become a part of her life, someone she wanted and needed around her. And when her family collapsed around her ears, Takeshi became a brother to her; providing her with a new family.

* * *

Thinking about it, Hitomi wasn't the only one who had been royally screwed over by Van and Kakeru, with all puns intended.

Takeshi had been lied to by his older brother. Sent away after the war ended to _help_ the Seeress from the Mystic Moon, guide her and bring her to the Valley.

Hitomi had never really questioned the flimsy reasons Kakeru had given her for not letting her leave the Valley to see Van once she had arrived. If anything she wanted to get her feet truly on the ground before she rushed off to the Fanelian capital and got mired in anything heart-wrenching.

Then winter came far earlier than usual and Hitomi had been cut off from any way of reaching Van. And only recently the roads down into Fanelia had been made safe enough to travel along.

Yet Kakeru hadn't once mentioned in passing her going to visit the Fanelian King. She ground her teeth unconsciously as she stewed over what she had picked up from Van.

He had been the one behind everything.

Takeshi coming to the Mystic Moon, then giving her the choice of coming back to Gaea, to _Van._ Was it wrong to compare him to Dornkirk? A controlling, power-mad Emperor hiding in the shadows?

Hitomi shook her head.

Even though Van had grown a manipulative backbone, it didn't mean that he could be put on a par with a murderous and insane dictator. She raised her gaze to the upward sloping path in front of her and sighed in realisation to where it headed.

_

* * *

_

Here she was wailing at the gods and Van for the injustices put upon her and what had she done? She had forgotten what day it was.

She marched up the gravel path that led to rows of small bushes of blue and white flowers all neatly placed with small wooden crosses etched with names. And a sandy blonde haired man sitting in front of two crosses and a small bonsai cutting.

"Hey." She murmured quietly, mentally kicking herself.

"I'm sorry…"

"It's okay." Amano looked up and smiled gently,

"You've had plenty of issues the past few days." He patted the ground next to him.

Hitomi sighed and crossed her legs in front of the two small white crosses – the only crosses with small photos in the entire graveyard.

"Good evening Susuma-san, Susuma-san." She bowed lightly to both crosses.

"I hope you are both well today. Amano's perfect as always! Engineering superman of the village!" She strategically chirped, hearing Amano snort and smiled slightly.

"Everyone is so happy he came with us. He's done so much for the village – structurally and as eye candy!" She chirruped jokingly and received a shove in response.

"Oi!" she turned to him mockingly indignant, and explained,

"It's true!" She argued cheekily. Amano rolled his eyes and sighed.

"How are they?" she asked soberly.

"How are you?" she asked, feeling even more guilty.

"Silent as the grave." He replied, no longer smiling; his eyes barely registering her concerned frown.

"I'm crap at comforting people, I just increase the misery in the room." She murmured quietly watching both Amano and the memorial for any sign of movement.

"We need Takeshi, he's good at it." She rambled.

Amano sniffed in amusement and his voice betrayed his minutely brightening mood,

"Yeah, preferably drunk so he does something outrageously stupid…"

"Like argue with a door and hit himself with it!" She continued. They both laughed.

"I'm sorry I completely forgot about today. I…"

Amano waved off her explanation and murmured gently,

"It's okay Hitomi. You've got plenty to deal with yourself." Hitomi's gaze shot up and stared at him. Amano smiled blandly and murmured,

"Takeshi passed by a few hours ago and said you had visitors."

Hitomi bowed her head and nodded, bringing her knees up to rest against her chest and her chin fit between her knees.

"Meh. They came, I growled, Takeshi yelled, I ran." She sank even further into her sitting position,

"Same old, same old."

"He said your family's here." Amano murmured quietly, not wanting to push Hitomi any further,

"They came _with_ Van," she muttered, only just realising how strange it was.

"I have no idea how they got here. It's not as if they asked for a pillar of light or anything. Probably shocked the crap out of my father that it was real and that I wasn't smoking crack all these years." She inhaled harshly trying her best not to start crying, and shook her head.

"I shouldn't be saying this today of all days. It's unfair of me, forgive me Amano." She mumbled into her kneecaps and felt an arm pull her against a warm side and a shoulder to rest against.

"Nah. No problem. After all, they helped _us_ all out, they probably feel they have a right to know what's happened since." He gesutured to the crosses.

Hitomi squeezed his hand and cringed slightly.

"I'm sorry. Here I am bitching about my parents and yours, yours…"

"Are happy where they are Hitomi." he countered, "I've been here for a while already, you look like you need someone to talk to."

She smiled in remembrance,

"Yeah, if it hadn't been for them giving you the flat back in Osaka, Takeshi and I would have never had the family we needed. We would both probably have gone insane without you."

Amano rolled his eyes and blushed slightly,

"I didn't do anything, just nagged you both and poked you when you moped about too much."

Hitomi shrugged,

"I have no clue what to say though. I don't know if I should be angry or upset. Or happy that he did this to find me again? But I just don't bloody know. Why did he do it?" She sighed,

"I just don't want to think about it. The whole _we'd meet again and it would all be perfect_ was a stupid idea." She scoffed.

* * *

"But it's what we all want." A third voice joined the group. Hitomi turned round and saw Satsuki approach them with a basket that seemed to be steaming from the sides.

Satsuki smiled gently as she sat down on the other side of Amano but faced both of them,

"How've they been Amano?" who in turn looked up and smiled slightly,

"Chatty as always." Satsuki laughed quietly and pulled out a sandwich bursting with meat and dressings from the basket which also had steam coming from it.

She handed it to Amano,

"You need to eat something."

She offered him the food and urged willingly,

"I got it from the Kishimotos'! Freshly baked bread!" She watched him sniff the air as the warm smell of the bread reached him.

He shrugged but took the offering from her and ate calmly as if picnics in graveyards were a common occasion in his schedule. He hadn't noticed Hitomi stiffen the other side of him.

But Satsuki had.

"Hitomi? Why don't we leave Amano with his parents for a bit and start getting dinner ready. You need to eat something after delivering Ana's little one. Her sister said you left without eating anything."

Satsuki felt an ominous rainstorm appear over her adoptive sister's head and the emotionless gaze she received in response.

"Don't fall asleep out here okay?" Satsuki murmured and ruffled the younger man's hair who gestured with one hand as his mouth and other hand was involved with the hot sandwich.

"There's more in the basket! Eat as much as you need!" she notified him.

She smiled and stood up as Hitomi gave Amano a one-armed hug, then bowed to the two crosses, her hand brushing each of the photos before looking back at Satsuki.

* * *

Satsuki appreciated Hitomi's power as a Seeress both in its possibilities _and_ its limitations. Many an evening Hitomi had helped a villager suffer less pain in _seeing_ their illness and its cause, thus being able to treat them quicker.

It was also useful for predicting oncoming rainstorms.

Hitomi could sense them approaching a short while ahead of them breaking above their heads, giving them time to take washing in and get indoors quickly. Though a few other Mystics were capable of predicting the weather.

Hitomi, nonetheless was _always_ correct.

However the look on Hitomi's face told Satsuki that what she had just seen or sensed wasn't something that pleased her, or Satsuki for that matter. They walked down the path in silence until they reached the main road.

* * *

Hitomi remained silent, having even more to think about.

Satsuki had appeared with food, apparently having sensed them in the graveyard; more likely _that_ than having remembered the day's significance as she was quite scatty with dates. She even forgot the mid-spring festival as she had only returned late that night from her venture out into the world.

Arriving on Van's birthday, Hitomi remembered sharply.

_Had she been to see Van?_ Hitomi jolted in surprise at the longevity of what she was supposedly sensing.

Hitomi had thought that Satsuki would be the most reasonable person to talk to about what had happened, especially with Hitomi's irrational thoughts flying about it all.

After what she had felt from Van and everyone she had seen once again today, she needed someone to go through it with. She wasn't even sure what she was feeling, or what she _should_ be feeling.

And yet Kiki knew.

She deflated.

By the look on _her_ face she had known Van was the one _essentially_ to bring her back to Gaea. From the patches of emotion she had felt and Kakeru's aura, Hitomi had deduced that Van and Kakeru had somehow made an accord in which Van gave the Mystics land and in return Kakeru used his power to send Takeshi to Japan.

An ironic thought passed by with the speed of a shinkansen train.

Takeshi had told her he was sent to watch over her and then return her to Gaea if she so wished and he had taken a fatherly approach to prospective suitors, attempting to scare the crap out of all of them.

Not that Hitomi cared. She was still very much hung up on her Draconian King.

But putting it into perspective, Takeshi _had_ been sent by Van to watch over Hitomi and had kept her away from any potential competition Van would have, if Hitomi had looked at anyone else in that respect.

She felt like a puppet that had just discovered its strings and so no free will.

Where were the NSync boys to help her break free from her binds in a strangely addictive music video? Trivial American boy band music videos held a new light for her. She sighed.

And looked towards Satsuki who seemed to be preparing for Nuclear warfare – or something to the effect in her concept of colossal destruction.

She strolled over to the stone wall that paved either side of the makeshift road and patted the spot next to her.

"Kiki," she murmured sadly,

"I'm tired and have no idea who to trust. Or who to believe. _Or_ even what is actually going on. So some info would be a great help."

"You mean you're not mad?" Satsuki blurted expecting Armageddon and received a tired and hopelessly gloomy smile.

She scrunched her eyes up not wanting to cry even though she felt that bawling might possibly help, at least in letting free her childish desire to scream at something.

Hitomi sighed and leaned her head on her adoptive sister's shoulder.

"Just tell me what you know, please." Then closed her eyes and waited as her small intestine knitted itself a butterfly pattern of nerves.

"Mimi. I…" Satsuki stopped as Hitomi's head shot up and her body straightened as if in shock.

* * *

"Oh Holy One!" Hitomi murmured completely flabbergasted, her face drained of colour entirely and she felt faint.

Satsuki held out an arm to steady her, questioning what had astonished Hitomi even further.

"Oh Gods No! Please! Please!" Hitomi muttered stunned, her hands covering her face.

"What is it Mimi?"

"Van…I…was it real?" she whispered, her shoulders braced tightly as if expecting to physically feel the impact of her discovery.

"Kiki, the other night…" Hitomi took a shuddering breath.

_It couldn't be real. _

Van wouldn't have done that to her under the pretence she was asleep? Wouldn't he? Another less wanted voice reminded her that it was her belief she was dreaming. She hadn't voiced once that she thought it wasn't real or that it was conjured up by her subconscious.

She blushed bright red at the realization of the truth.

Her stomach twisted uncomfortably, but not unlike the way it had when she and Van had…. She shook her head, and tried to focus on the main issue. But how could she when her hormones were jubilantly throwing an adrenalin fuelled party at the news.

Her rational part however froze at the idea.

That wasn't her first kiss – _Allen didn't count in her mind_ – but it was her first _proper_ kiss. When did Van get so forward? Or start acting like a hormone fuelled teen? She felt as if every capillary in her body had expanded and flooded to her face.

"…Mimi? Mimi? HITOMI KANZAKI!"

"Wha?" Hitomi was sprung back to real life by her adoptive sister yelling.

"Are you listening to me at all? Or are you mooning over Prince Charming?" Satsuki challenged.

"He's not Prince Charming at all." Hitomi muttered.

"Prince Charming doesn't seduce innocent girls who believe they're asleep." She continued darkly.

"Well if they can conjure images of being happily seduced in their sleep, I wouldn't call them exactly innocent."

"Har, Har." She sighed,

"Look can you tell me what you know."

Both women jolted in surprise at a sudden wave of anger that flooded over both of them. They turned to each other in shock, and then worry.

"Where did that come from?" Satsuki whispered, as if noise would increase the anger of whomever they had perceived.

"Takeshi." Was the only word Hitomi managed to produce, still reeling from the sensation but both women realised the danger from it.

* * *

Thanks to:

Inda – It's still not clear? Gah I thought I was getting better.

InLuvWidVan – Curiosity Bubble? Love it! And apologies for breaking promises! Forgive me! I will make it up to you!

Jav-chan – Thank you (no sarcasm intended!) And there will be violence soon! There is here, but is that enough? o.O"

Lil' Dinky – Lovely rant! And yes Hitomi is being irrational. And reasons are shown here! You made me laugh so much!

Mysisterisasquijum – thank you! And Hitomi is facing consequences. Yes Mamoru is important this chappie.

m2m2005

YamiYugi342 – Here's what happens next!

CrossXFire – thankies! And Amano's explained now right?

thepinkmartini – Yeah it will take more than that but we shall see!

ranmyaku-neko

jacks-peapod

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm sorry it took so long! Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think!

Sina xx


	9. A Light Shines

A/N: Sorry the last chapter was so short, I hated myself for leaving it so long so I rushed to update. So off we go again! Thanks for the reviews! Huggles to all! Have had so many plot bunnies, going at it like plot bunnies, my head feels like it might explode. So apologies if I go off on another fic, I will keep this going. Promise! Honest!

Also I've started Uni today! Kyaaa! SO updates will be infrequent, but not 3 month gaps like before bows to ground - SORRRY!

Warning – there is some swearing here, so apologies if you find it offensive.

**Where we were last:**

_Both women jolted in surprise at a sudden wave of anger that flooded over both of them. They turned to each other in shock, and then worry._

"_Where did that come from?" Satsuki whispered, as if noise would increase the anger of whomever they had perceived._

"_Takeshi." Was the only word Hitomi managed to produce, still reeling from the sensation but both women realised the danger from it._

* * *

Chapter 8: A light shines

Being faster, Hitomi was the first to jump up from the stone wall and re-enact her track practice schedule by racing down the path as if she had a time limit to reach her troubled brother.

As the track wound round the side of the mountain, Hitomi hurdled over fences, running through fields of cut grass that were used for grazing, and into more fields of tall grass and crops.

She employed her old breathing techniques to keep the lactic acid at bay. After a short distance she couldn't hear Satsuki's panting behind her any longer.

But she knew the most important thing was for her to reach Takeshi before he did or said something stupid.

She could understand his anger.

Hers had dissolved slightly after having concentrated fully on delivering a baby that was in the wrong place for delivery, needing to be turned round inside the womb.

Also Ana's scream was quite piercing and her ears had been ringing for a while, leaving her with too much of a headache to be almightily angry.

Hitomi was more interested in the reasons behind Van's _evil master plan_ as she dubbed it, to bring her back to Gaea. Not that she wasn't grateful; she was delighted to be somewhere where people didn't believe she was a crackwhore or worse. But that wasn't her focus point.

Takeshi, no doubt would be fuming.

Van was slightly less important in his view, his anger would all be directed at his older brother.

After their father had buckled under pressure from Zaibach and put the Mystic Valley into the hands of the twisted sorcerers, Takeshi had looked up to his brother to take care of the Valley properly.

Hitomi reached the front garden and skidded to a halt.

The sheer pressure radiating from the house hit her as if she had casually thrown herself at an electrified fence cranked up to cartoon comedy level.

She jolted back from charging into the house and took a deep breath.

She could hear Satsuki's faint panting getting closer as she dragged herself to the front gate. Turning, she saw the look of worry wash over Satsuki's face as she too felt the absolute weight of the anger flowing out of the house.

An inner monologue dryly informed her that if this were an episode of Pokémon, the shrine would be surrounded by electricity and lightening bolts because of Takeshi's anger, if he were a yellow fire rat with red cheeks.

Hitomi braced herself and walked slowly through the viscous charged air around her and touched the front door with her palm. But her _other_ sense was rendered futile as a bag came flying out of a window on the side of the house.

"At least it was open," Satsuki murmured, receiving a glare for the first time that night from Hitomi, who then turned back round and entered the shrine walking towards Takeshi's room.

* * *

There was no need to knock on the door.

Wide open it allowed Hitomi to see the chaos that reigned within.

The bed was covered with clothes and objects, the wooden floor no longer visible under the sea of belongings. She saw Takeshi trying to shove things into a hiking bag furiously, with an almost demented look on his face.

Hitomi took a deep breath, inwardly cringing in preparation for the almighty onslaught that she expected to reign upon her.

Forcibly relaxing her posture, she calmly asked him,

"What are you doing Shi?" he paid no attention to her and carried on reaching out for random objects, seemingly not caring what he threw into his bag.

"Takeshi?" came Satsuki's voice, standing beside Hitomi, her eyes warily surveying what seemed to be her cousin's mental breakdown.

Takeshi seemed not to hear the two female voices or sense their worried auras.

Or if he did, he didn't seem to care as he grew more aggressive in the apparent act of packing his bag. Hitomi could sense the rising tension and asked more tentatively this time,

"Takeshi, why are you packing a bag?"

"Are you going somewhere?" Satsuki quipped as they finally received an answer from the creator of the infernal aura.

"Yes." He snarled back, adding,

"What does it look like? A parade?"

"So you're finally going to join the circus, eh? Wise decision cousin, wise decision!" Satsuki sparred back, clapping sarcastically.

She was then warned off from continuing by Hitomi grabbing her arm and shaking her head, her face pale with worry and apparent exasperation.

Takeshi declined a response, seemingly speeding up his act of shoving indiscriminate items into the hiking bag, his knuckles turning white.

"Where are you going to go?" Hitomi demanded, unaware that Satsuki had taken an apparent step back, hoping that Hitomi would sort the situation.

She quickly regretted it as her adopted sister's voice rose,

"Takeshi! Stop acting like a brat and answer me!"

"Where the fuck do you think I'm going?"

"I don't know! I can't read minds!"

"Yeah," he snorted derisively,

"Cause if you could, you would have realised what a dick your _boyfriend_ is."

"So you're just going to run away? Why? What has my apparent _boyfriend_ done to _you_?"

"Are you retarded woman? That bastard you _believe_ you're in love with manipulated me AND YOU along with my shit of a brother, telling me bullshit lies and getting me to do their dirty work!"

Satsuki could only watch in shock as two fairly laidback people started to tear into one another.

At this evident opening of the argument, she decided her best hope lay in Amano, and ran out of the house to find him.

Her departure went unnoticed by the pair who seemed to be delving deeper into their confrontation, goading each other to breaking point.

"You're angry with Kakeru! Why bring Van into it?" Hitomi angled, the cracks in her composure groaning under the weight of her churning emotions.

"Of course! OF COURSE!" Takeshi purred angrily,

"Your precious King is far too good-natured to scheme away. He wouldn't do a thing to hurt you! It's _all_ my brother's fault. Taking after our wonderful father perfectly!"

"That's precious!" Hitomi cried,

"Pull out all the anger you had for your father and push it towards your brother!"

"Naturally," he hissed in frustration,

"That winged little shit has nothing to do with it." He threw a plastic object, uncaring of what it was, against the wall as he stared her down, "As far as you're concerned the sun SHINES out of his backside, right?"

He watched as she tensed and narrowed her eyes at him, rolling her shoulders back, as if preparing physically for their fight,

"Isn't it allowed O Holy One?" Takeshi hissed mockingly, egging her on, "Can no one bad mouth your precious dragon boy? Your beloved Prince Charming?"

It even shocked Hitomi, staring up at his chin pointing away from her and feeling her hand smarting.

She just wanted to calm him down before they both exploded and tore the house apart.

Hitomi was naturally a serene person, happily tucking away her annoyance and anger into a little box, believing it was useless to confront people who wouldn't change anyway.

But this was different.

A line had been crossed in her mind and breathing exercises weren't going to resolve the situation. So a shouting match would have to do for now.

"This has nothing to do with him! This is about YOU!"

"Oh_ I'm sorry! _Was I the one plotting behind your back and arranging your marriage to someone you haven't seen in six years? NO!"

"I had as much of a clue as you did!"

"So why the hell did you slap me?!" he asked, his lids forming slits.

"Because you're running away! Like a coward!"

"You did the same only hours ago! What right do you have to call me on it?"

Hitomi sighed, her hands clenching at her sides.

Her shoulders slumped.

Her head bowing and loose strands of hair swayed in front of her face as she inhaled jadedly,

"I don't." She mumbled tiredly, her voice straining, "I just…I just need…" she breathed unevenly,

"Hitomi," Takeshi patted her back awkwardly, unable to feel empathy with his own swelling anger.

He gently held her at arm's length from him, looking at the top of her head, avoiding her eyes,

"I can't stay here. I need to...leave."

Hitomi wrenched herself from his grip, stumbling back on debris thrown about on the floor and demanded,

"Leave? Where are you going to go? You never left the Valley in Zaibach. You have no one to go to!"

"Here anyway."

"You're going _back_?" Came an incredulous voice from the door as the two turned to see Amano's gaze blazing on them in alarm.

Satsuki, holding onto the doorframe behind him seemed to hesitate entering the room for fear of joining the conflict.

"Going where?" She managed to ask, hoping the shrine wouldn't explode from all the negative ki that charged the room's atmosphere.

"Mystic Moon." Takeshi mumbled, trying to pack as fast as possible and leave. It didn't look too probable at this rate he thought.

"WHAT!" was the collective response of the two females.

"Where?" Hitomi asked dazed,

"Where on the Mystic Moon? We sold the flat, the boys aren't in Osaka and Aaya wouldn't be happy to see you land on her doorstep."

"Like I care." Takeshi replied, almost wearily.

"Look Takeshi, you're running away from this. Why? Don't you want to hear why Kakeru did it? Don't you want to yell at him?" Hitomi pleaded,

"There's no point running away Shi." Amano answered.

"Oh really?" came a subdued reply.

"You say that like your brother didn't trade you for some horny draconian wanting a girl to warm his bed."

"HEY!" Satsuki exclaimed, to everyone's shock.

Even Hitomi turned to her sister, wondering why she had jumped to her's and metaphorically Van's defence.

"Just because it seems like this is some tangled web of deceit that you're placed in the centre…"

"…it may actually be a bowl of ice-cream and honey?" Takeshi sardonically replied, starting to lose his angry tone.

Satsuki smiled slightly, gauging that her cousin's anger was starting to slowly lose its burning edge.

"Takeshi…" Hitomi murmured, her voice matching her tired demeanour, "Please stay…even for a day or so…" she inhaled deeply, yawning simultaneously,

"Ask Kakeru why he made the agreement with the winged bastard and then decide where you're emigrating to, ne?" She slowly approached him and took the object that he had tightly wrapped in his palm.

* * *

Both Hitomi and Takeshi softened at what she had taken from him.

A mini snow globe that had a picture in the middle – of three grinning teenagers with festive attire on their heads.

Hitomi smiled fondly at the captured memory of her with antlers on her head, and the boys, either side of her with Santa hats on.

"You promised me." She said, placing the globe back onto his outstretched palm. "You promised me that you would take me back to Gaea. That you would be my friend. That you would be my brother… …my family. That you would make me laugh." She sniffled, a tear mingling with the chaos on the floor.

"I need my brother." Hitomi whispered, grabbing his arm, staring at him.

* * *

The gazes staring at him severely annoyed Takeshi.

He was supposed to be a raging ball of wrath, screw alliteration!

He wanted to beat the crap out of several punching bags, preferably filled with his brother to get rid of all this unwanted anger and stress he didn't enjoy whatsoever.

He didn't want to meet his adopted family's eyes.

He knew they would beat him down and he didn't want that.

He was comfortable with his anger and didn't give a toss about _understanding_.

What did understanding ever do to improve anything?

Understanding Dornkirk's motives for enslaving the Mystic Valley didn't make it any easier to remember all the suffering he had gone through. He would begrudgingly admit that his own brother's betrayal was less than their father's handing over their people to Zaibach.

But – and this was a big but – he felt played with.

And he hated this feeling.

He only wanted to leave in peace and here his housemates were guilt-tripping him. But it wasn't going to work!

He only noticed the other presence touching him when that someone spoke,

"I need my best mate." Amano put his hand on his shoulder.

Takeshi growled inwardly in exasperation, what was this?

Some sort of children's sappy TV crap?

He didn't care dammit!

But it seemed the gods were laying their bets against him as a smaller person flew through the door and clamped around his legs.

He looked down and saw blonde hair as a nose pressed against his knee.

He had strain to listen over his anger and inner shouting to hear the small voice plead,

"Don't leave Shi-nii-chan! Don't leave!" And then the gods unleashed a hidden ace up their sleeves – the puppy eyes of a four year old girl.

"If you leave Shi-nii…" Mayu sniffled, "Who…w-who will tell me about Naruto?"

Satsuki was bent double at the door laughing at her daughter's precociousness, mentally congratulating Escaflowne on his genius.

Hitomi smirked across to Amano who bit his lip in order to not laugh, hoping the magic of an innocent four year old would pull on his stubborn arse friend's heart strings.

"Shi-nii-chan?" Her tiny lip wobbled in anticipation and was rewarded with being lifted to her nii-chan's eye-level.

"Mayu-chan…" he muttered, staring into her cornflower eyes, "Will you really miss Naruto that much? Won't you miss me?"

Every being in the room was surprised by the tenacity of the little girl who shook her head fiercely,

"NO nii-chan!" Takeshi recoiled at the child's words and sighed before he felt something hit his head.

He then noticed his _otouto-chan_ had hit him, and raised an eyebrow in request for an explanation. His anger froze at her words,

"Nii-chan must stay. Nii-chan has to tell me Naruto's story so I can tell everyone. And then Nii-chan has to tell me his story. Aaand Nii-chan has to stay for my birthday because I never had a nii-chan before and I don't want to not have a nii-chan like I not have a tou-san." Mayu finished, gulping down air.

Takeshi could only stare at the blonde glimmer resting against his shoulder, sniffling once more then hiccupping.

He pulled the small child tightly against him tapping her head gently,

"Nii-chan's not going anywhere!" he declared smiling at her.

He watched in anticipation as Mayu pulled back from his shoulder with a broad grin on her face,

"Yay! Night Nii-chan!" The small child kissed his nose and then deftly wriggled out of his arms, dropped calmly to the ground and walked to her mother, taking her hand and guiding her out of the room.

* * *

Hitomi jolted gently in surprise at the laughter coming from the end of the bed. She turned to face the middle-aged man, smiling benignly at them.

She heard a sigh from behind her as Takeshi muttered resignedly,

"Ryuu-sama, I'm staying. No need to pester me! I'm staying!" he said loudly, poking her first and then Amano who snorted at his friend's childish attitude.

Hitomi turned back to the warm aura of her mentor who smiled and asked,

"Did you feel it Hitomi?"

"Feel what?" Takeshi asked, wondering what else was being kept from him, paranoia his new best friend.

He was shocked by the gentle but slightly teasing smile on his adopted sister's face, who replied,

"Mayu's coming into her talents. She calmed you down and put the air con on your box of anger. Didn't you sense her?"

"She will be a truly interesting child to teach, for one so young she grasped your anger Takeshi…"

"…and removed it?" Takeshi asked, finally understanding why he had such a change of heart.

"But I was already calming down," he pointed out, "She didn't completely change my mood, I was starting…"

"…to forgive your family yes. That's the point Takeshi. Mayu-chan sensed when your emotions were at their most chaotic and encouraged your calm demeanour to envelop your anger."

He looked at Hitomi's unwavering gaze and saw the appreciation she felt for her adopted niece, and he could see the amazement.

He managed a small smile in the shock of the revelation that his four year old niece could evidently affect his moods and possibly change them.

He felt an undercurrent of irritation that he had been manipulated again, but felt the Valley's spiritual counsellor's peaceful gaze on him.

"She did it to help you. Innocence is a truly beautiful thing, distressing when we are ripped from it but knowledge can be enriching too." Takeshi snorted at his mentor's words,

"Ok Ryuu-sama. You can philosophize another day. I want food." He tugged on Hitomi's arm and watched her turn round with narrowed eyes.

"Oh you want food now do you? From someone who is apparently only interesting in getting her hands on a crown?"

"And a winged so-called hottie to warm your bed yes!" He smirked watching the irritation mixed with the shades of red adorning her cheeks.

Takeshi laughed and hugged his adoptive sister, who smacked his arm and returned the gesture,

"Don't go off on one again! I might throw you out a window next time!" she muttered darkly, making him laugh again, and once more at Amano's flat toned,

"Yeah, causing even more work for me!" The room's atmosphere relaxed as best it could with all the questions hanging in the air for Takeshi and Hitomi but they didn't seem to mind.

"Okay, who wants some Sake?" Takeshi cried, punching the air walking out of his disarrayed room as if the previous few minutes hadn't occurred.

* * *

Van could only watch despondently.

After Hitomi's departure, there had been a gravity of silence in the room.

The feelings of discomfort and angst he believed he had left behind six years ago were flooding back agonizingly.

To his surprise and gratitude, it was Dryden – the man thrust into an unwanted royal position who kindly thanked the Valley's Daimyo.

He had also somehow managed to get them all out of the building and back onto the leviship without any mention whatsoever of Hitomi or notion of chasing after her.

If it had been six years previous he would have run after immediately, his duties be damned. Or would he have?

He still felt the tightening of his chest in torment whenever he recalled what he dubbed _the barn incident._

He had royally screwed himself all puns intended, and that led to Hitomi being ensnared by Allen.

He no longer had any ill will towards the blonde knight, well not very much.

But a tiny, insignificant, unwanted part of him asked an unwanted question: who would Hitomi turn to this time?

He did not mean that she would throw herself at another man, not that she had thrown herself at Allen back then.

But would there be someone as there was six years previous to swoop her into their embrace and provide what he, Van Fanel lacked in her eyes.

Apparently he was lacking in something, due to her reaction.

She had declared heatedly to…slap the seven hells out of him? He could see her anger clearly and it disappointed him.

No matter how powerful and strong a monarch he was, his one weakness had turned on him.

And like the lovesick courtiers he rolled his eyes at, he too wanted to chase after the female angry with him and demand to know why she was angry.

Then pacify her in some way.

If it had been about the other night, which in all fairness was wrong of him, then he supposed it was reasonable of her to be angry.

But once again like the lovesick courtiers or even the seemingly spineless heroes in Merle's romantic novels she often liked to discuss, he had hoped for her to fall into his arms with unconcealed joy.

Anger was very far away on the spectrum from this.

And in true form, Van Fanel had returned to his fifteen year old self by disappearing once the Leviship rose from the ground and sulked somewhere, or that's what the others probably thought, not that he cared all that much.

Monarchs didn't sulk in his mind, he was merely contemplating the reaction of the woman he had waited six years for.

A very much averse reaction to what he wanted, hoped for, or even expected slightly.

She had been rather welcoming only nights ago he remembered to his slight chagrin.

Perhaps that indulgence and extra lie to her hadn't helped her reformed view of him. Despite his childish disappearing act on the leviship, he felt rather proud of himself in one respect that he hadn't run after Hitomi and attempted to repeat the acts of a few nights ago.

Once the Leviship had arrived back at the Castle he felt deflated further, he would most likely get an earful from his council. But that was at the back of his mind.

He only wanted to speak to her.

To correct whatever mistake she believed he had made and to be with her again.

He knew that first he would have to confront his friends and Hitomi's parents. It hit him heavily that he truly needed strength to go through the grilling they would throw at him.

He sighed heavily, feeling the weight of his responsibilities more so than he had in all six years of being without Hitomi.

Luckily, or at least in his view a council member swooped in on him as they disembarked from the Leviship and argued that he had many documents to read over and sign, almost ushering him away from his friends and guests.

The stacks of new magically created paperwork on his desk felt somewhat like an atonement for whatever Hitomi apparently accused him of enough to threaten to slap him.

Maybe she hadn't changed that much after all.

* * *

Haruka Kanzaki was confused.

And she had been confused a great deal since she had arrived on this other planet.

After all to her recently sprouted chagrin she had arrived on a planet that she believed her daughter had _made up_.

Then in turned out that the young man who's name her daughter had cried out in agony whilst asleep was _also_ real, a King of an entirely real nation, _and_ he intended to make Hitomi his wife.

As a group with people who apparently met and knew Hitomi during her time on Gaea previously, they had gone to where Hitomi was staying. Hitomi in turn had paid little attention to her family, which angered her father but saddened Haruka.

Hitomi had focused almost entirely on this young man Van Fanel.

But to everyone's shock, including the King's, Hitomi had threatened him.

Which was swiftly followed by another man who had also hurled abuse at the King, then Hitomi had left without a word or second look at anyone.

The mother of Hitomi Kanzaki started to feel a twinge in her stomach as she watched her daughter turn her back on the room – her own family – without a word.

She felt hurt, but knew deep down she couldn't criticize her as they had effectively turned their back on Hitomi all those years ago. Haruka never liked the idea of not talking to her daughter, but in the belief that pulling away from her would shock her out of her bad habits she had done so.

She keenly felt the pain of separation now, aware that her daughter had done nothing wrong, and had even been through a highly traumatic situation – a 3 month war – on another world.

And what had her family and peers done to help?

They had treated her as a social leper, believing she was a junkie or worse.

But Mrs. Kenzo Kanzaki wanted to focus on the present.

She had hoped to meet her daughter, talk to her, hold her again after four years frost. However matters had complicated themselves further when the Fanelian King had disappeared himself on the aircraft after leaving Hitomi's residence.

Haruka was unsure of who to talk about this with.

Her husband would surely fault the King himself and the 'strange' people on this planet.

Safe to say, Kenzo Kanzaki did not like the idea of there being another world, no matter how much it proved their daughter was both sane and not a substance abuser.

Upon their return to the palace, the King had been conveniently ushered out of sight by a pompous looking man who seemed to lecture him.

This really was a strange place.

But it interested her.

Her daughter's new life interested her.

* * *

The Kanzaki family had been guided back to their apartments where once again silence reigned as each member sulked or stewed in their own silent thoughts.

Her husband was clearly the former, her son the latter but aided by his phone/whatever other gadget he had smuggled with him.

Haruka however, wanted someone to talk to.

Her thoughts were a mess, but talking about it – or at least in her eyes, would do some good.

This led to her thinking about her daughter once more, piling more guilt under the new title of: Not Having Listened to my Child. Parenting classes had nothing on this.

Sadly conversation was less than abundant at dinner that evening.

All the King's guests sat together and ate in a silence that was far from peaceful.

The King himself, once again was palpably absent. This seemed to fuel the tension somewhat for both her husband, the feline woman that seemed to be a friend or relation to the King had her tail upright and flicking to and fro at a dizzying speed, and peculiarly the tall man with long blonde hair.

* * *

Once dinner had been cleared away, they were guided to a sitting room that was even more spectacular than the one the Kanzakis' resided in.

Not that it had more furniture or more possessions, but it was clear that this was the King's personal residence.

The furniture was more intricate and sumptuous than in the Kanzakis' suite, but it seemed comfortable somehow, not lavish in a hostile way.

Haruka watched the King enter the room from a different door looking weary.

He sighed and sat closest to them.

Hitomi's mother felt it was symbolic somehow, not that she could explain that thought to anyone but herself.

She saw him sigh heavily then started talking,

"Forgive me all of you for leaving you but I had matters to attend to."

Haruka turned as the blonde haired man sniffed haughtily despite his lower rank Haruka believed and said,

"Such as sulking Van?"

Haruka felt the entire room tense as the feline woman, Merle spun on her chair and hissed,

"Do you have any manners Schezar? Or do you believe yourself above Royalty that you can lecture them with your unblemished principles?"

"Merle!" came a tight reprimand from the King.

* * *

Hitomi meanwhile was rather relaxed as her wet hair was braided by Satsuki in between sips of Sake.

Takeshi and Amano sprawled on the living room floor, each nursing their own cup and discussing anything and everything that didn't include the day's earlier dramatics.

She knew there were things that needed to be discussed but at this moment it wasn't important.

Dressed in her comfy pajamas with her hair being braided after a nice hot but sadly short bath, Hitomi felt her process of thoughts slow down gently from the panic she had had earlier that day.

It felt entirely strange to her that her encounter with Van had only happened earlier that day.

But she would focus on it in the morning.

She wanted to enjoy her _new_ life with her friends/family for as long as she could before she was thrust into the predicaments that Van Fanel would bring.

Yawning and slumping as best she could against the cushion in front of Satsuki's crossed legs, she let her mind unfurl and curl up with it's imaginary pillow, half listening to Amano and Takeshi's childish argument.

Luckily Mayu had fallen asleep quickly leaving the 'adults' to relax after the explosive events.

Hitomi sat up slightly so Satsuki wouldn't tug on her hair too much, but straightened when she heard voices.

* * *

Hitomi Kanzaki, on the Mystic Moon had been suspected of being a drug addict, a whore, a yakuza's girl, an enjo kōsai, and a crazy person amongst other despicable things.

But she would swear hand on heart that she had never heard _voices_ before.

Luckily she wasn't descending into madness, as she recognised the voices quite clearly,

"Merle!" She jolted as she recognised the older, deeper voice she had heard only nights before reprimanding the feline.

"I'm defending you here!" Came a voice that was older too, but the anger rang true in Hitomi's memory.

"Why did Hitomi react that way?" Came her brother's voice.

She felt another jolt, that went deeper, but warmth surrounded her as she felt weightless momentarily, her eyes closing in shock.

When the feeling dissipated, only then did she inhale and fall back from leaning against the cushion and Satsuki's knees.

Wincing she sat up and squinted at the now bright lights and stared at her new surroundings. Her eyes widened as she blurted,

"Did Takeshi spike my tea?"

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Sina xx

Well? Let me know? xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

N/B:

Enjo kōsai – teenage girls who date older men for money, can lead to prostitution, but can just be dates. Is seen as a very seedy practice as a whole.

**

* * *

**

Thanks to: (you wonderful people you!)

InLuvWidVan – cowers I'm Sorry! Yeah I have a secret love of NSync too! blushes

thepinkmartini – Thanks! I liked that bit too!

Inda – Confusion? Sorry! I'll see what I can do!!

Sneedlle – Thanks! Yep there will be a can of woop-ass opened on a lot of people! :D

mysisterisasquijum – Lol. Thanks! Yep, Van needs to talk! And so he will!

Lil' Dinky – So true! Would love to hear your rants!

dilly-samma's luver – Thanks! Have tried my very best. Couples are still being decided on. Though aside from V/H there will be something else :P

Jav-chan – Hee hee! Welcome. Yes retribution is on it's way! As you can see…

QueenoftheSaps

star2087

Sirius's Whim


	10. Bitter Medicine

* * *

A/N: SORRY SORRY! SORRY SORRY! And I mean no irony with that!

I know this chapter has taken months, but writer's block for _this _fic decided to set up camp. Hey at least I wasn't inactive! Worlds Apart! Black and Gold! But here is the chapter, seven months later than promised. I hope I can actually get my teeth back into this. Don't hold your breath though

And it's been 1 year since I've started. So Happy Birthday to Okaeri! ^^

Here we go once more. Last chapter was background/filler. Here come the fireworks *evil laugh* Feel sorry for His Majesty. Egos will be deflated. Also medical info is part truth, part imagination.

* * *

**Where we were last:**

_She felt another jolt, one that went deeper, but warmth surrounded her as she felt weightless. _

_Only then did she inhale and fall back from leaning against the cushion and Satsuki's knees. Wincing she sat up from the hard wood floor and squinted at the now bright lights, staring at her new surroundings. Her eyes widened as she blurted, "Did Takeshi spike my tea?"_

* * *

Chapter 9: Bitter Medicine

As she stared at nine people gawping back her in varying states of politeness, Hitomi could do nothing but shiver.

She knew it wasn't because of her still damp hair. Her thought processes only enabled her to stare back, and unlike her little brother, she had closed her mouth.

A strange stray thought hit her, that if Takeshi was here, he would know what to say. Or rather, know what joke to make. And why were they staring at her as if they had never seen her before? She only hoped that the damp patches at the back of her tank top were caused by her wet hair and not any form of perspiration; that at least the gods could do for her.

"Hitomi?" Her unfocused gaze zoomed in on the strangely fragile voice that belonged to…her father? She had to squint as her mind was still adjusting to the sudden change of location, leaving her vision marginally blurred.

Her body wasn't given too much of a chance either as she was knocked to the ground a second time by a furry female bowling her over, her arms curling and locking round Hitomi's shoulders. She instinctively braced herself as best to protect her body from the noise that was Merle, "HITOMI!"

Her green eyes met with Merle's denim blue orbs as she pulled back from crushing her, only to then slam back against Hitomi and cry out, "About time you got here!"

Hitomi's reply was less than eloquent as she felt the prickling of her skin, feeling every individual stare on her arms and neck. "Umm, yeah." She had never liked being the centre of attention and her nerves only jangled further as she cursed herself for such ineloquence.

"Nice pjs nee-chan." Hitomi's gaze slid past the magenta waves to her brother's smirking face and blushed as she realised how rather underdressed she was. "Cheers little brother." She managed to say between slightly gritted teeth as her inner self skied through forests of turmoil.

She had threatened to _slap_ him. Slap him! What was her problem? Why did she have to speak before her brain switched on? And now, here she was in the same room as him.

At his complete mercy, and what would really happen? The last time he had taken quite a few liberties. And what liberties they were. Was he always so…? No, she had to focus. Not that she felt she could bring it up with her parents around at all. Especially her father, her father—

"I must ask Hitomi, how did you appear here?" Allen asked, kindly attempting to start a conversation, though she wasn't sure just how much it would help. Hitomi looked at him, then found herself trying to furtively bite her cheek to stop herself from smiling too broadly as she felt a spike of irritation from another male in the room. A male who apparently still felt wary of a blonde knight's attention, though whether it should have entertained her or only added to her list of grievances she decided to leave for another day.

Her smile widened when Dryden calmly answered for her, though the underlying sarcasm wasn't all too ambiguous, "I think that would be obvious Allen, the pillar of light is Hitomi-san's regular method of transport. How else could she have come here?"

Hearing someone cough in an attempt to cover a laugh brought her back to the brutal reality of where she was. She would have to tread carefully; it wasn't like there was anywhere she could run to here. And how on Earth had that pillar appeared? Not to mention the one that had brought her family of all people to Gaea.

Her eyes had only drifted to him by sheer coincidence, nothing more, when she saw something suddenly flicker and glow around his neck. And her mind went to work. Theories that had been bandied about with Takeshi, Kakeru and a very sceptical Amano flickered in her mind and Hitomi inhaled slowly at the strange, slightly embarrassing idea that came to her mind.

"If I may ask you all, were any of you thinking of me before I appeared?" The burgundy gaze that met hers answered her question for one resident of the room, Hitomi looked away swiftly to see what her mother had thought of. After all she had barely spoken to her mother since she had appeared. It made her wince inwardly at the sheer chaos one person brought to her mind.

A ripple of nods round the room gave her the confirmation she needed and Hitomi sighed, crossing her legs in front of her on the carpeted floor trying to make the best of the highly awkward situation. "Are you insinuating that our combined thoughts about wishing to see you actually brought you here Hitomi?" Meeting the azure gaze of the Asturian Queen gave Hitomi a curious insight into the other seated members of the room. Millerna was evidently bursting with curiosity and embarrassingly, apprehension because of her actions earlier in the day.

The sheer discomfort she knew she radiated made her stomach twist painfully. Hitomi was uncomfortably aware that it would never be easy, but why had things complicated themselves so much that the tension in the room could be broken into pieces and swallowed? _She_ hadn't plotted to bring herself back to Gaea for six years without a single word to _anyone_ who might want to know.

Inwardly cringing, she realized that she had to focus on the actual situation and when she was alone with Van she could pour out her frustrations and find something to hit him with. She wondered if he still carried a sword around with him. The sudden rush of memories brought a wistful smile to her face and clearing her throat she looked up and spoke, though not at him, hard enough as it was.

"I want to apologize for my behaviour earlier today. Forgive me, I was completely taken aback by seeing you all that I overreacted."

"You haven't changed a bit have you Hitomi?" her gaze snapped to the feline who had decided to sit next to her, smirking as her tail flickered with amusement. Blushing, she smiled and nodded,

"Not much. But enough about me, how have you all been?" her posture improved slightly as grins broke out across the room, auras shifting and brightening.

Merle patted her hand cheerfully as if her appearance in her pajamas in the Fanelian Castle was a regular event. Her blush deepened at the possible connotations of such a statement, but Hitomi's focus left her lewd thoughts as something metaphorically struck her. She stood up and walked over to her father, manoeuvring round the ornate table, in the opposite direction of any royalty. Carefully she knelt in front of her father, taking his hand in hers. Reaching out in the way Satsuki and Ryuu-jii had taught her, she felt gently for the imbalance coming from her father.

"Tou-san are you feeling alright?" Hitomi could feel something jarring against his aura and it most definitely wasn't anger, though she could see plenty of that too clouding it as well. His pulse at his wrist felt sluggish and her intuition told her he was worryingly close to passing out or worse. It certainly didn't help that when she met her father's gaze his eyes were slightly glazed and his breathing shallow. Her head tilted as she tried to keep her tone as calm as possible.

"Kaa-chan, is tou-san on any medication? Anything for heart conditions?" The silence by everyone else in the room dulled in her mind as her father became her sole concern. He had always had a weak heart, before she had left the family home she could recall him being diagnosed with angina. But the symptoms she was picking up didn't correspond with that. Her own pulse increased as her mother watched her nervously, but not responding.

"Is he taking angina tablets still?" Hitomi asked, trying to stay visibly calm as her father's grip on her hand tightened a fraction, no doubt from the heart pain and whatever else he was suffering from. "No, he got prescribed Doxasozin. It's for blood pressure." Her head whipped round at the sound of her brother replying, a curious look on his face.

The abilities she had learnt as a seeress and somewhat healer she thought should have been left for another time, but it seemed she would have to surprise the room's occupants and her own family further. Nodding at her brother's words she asked him another question, "How many days' dose did he take with him? Just one?" Mentally calculating what would be needed and how much in evaluation to the answer she prayed it would be small enough to not harm her father.

"Hitomi?" Her mother's eyes were wide and her voice shaking at the questions asked, but she knew there was more behind her mother's confusion. Strangely she thanked the Gods for having grown patience, living with Takeshi for four years, she calmly repeated the question, trying not to overstress her words or worry anyone. "Did Tou-san have any medication with him when you came here?"

She cringed inwardly at the distance there was as her mother looked at her as if she was unrecognizable. Running away always had consequences, but Hitomi felt the weight of it was suddenly a great deal more painful than she had ever felt. She knew there were painful and extremely awkward conversations to be had before her and it was glaringly obvious she could no longer hide.

Oddly it was relief she felt as her mother spoke. Even though her words were not a great deal reprieving, it stopped her from overthinking everything as she listened. "We were planning to go to Tokyo for a long weekend, for Golden Week. We brought three days worth of tablets. And it's…it's been—"

"Five days." Hitomi cut off, removing herself from the emotional hooks in the conversation as she asked her next hurried question, "Of Doxasozin?"

As her mother nodded, she squeezed her father's hand and looked back at her new patient, smiling gently, "Tou-san, how long have you been experiencing chest pain?" The leafy green eyes that looked back at her heavy lidded made her alter her calculations slightly as he replied weakly, before coughing, "A few days." Ignoring her mother's gasp she nodded calmly and continued, "And has it got worse today? Just this evening?"

Watching her father furrow his brow in concentration she slid her index finger to his pulse again. It had increased and passed a normal rate. It was at this Hitomi bit her lip and felt vines of panic slide up her arms, trying to lock her in place. But as her father smiled at her so contentedly she inhaled deeply before turning round to the Asturian Queen.

"Your Majesty?" She paused for a second respectfully, praying that Millerna would help her, "Do you know of any plants on Gaea that are used to control Atrial Fibrillation?" There was no time or emotional space for a wry smile as the blonde woman stared at her, surprised by the technicality of her words. Nor did she have the courage to acknowledge the shock reverberating from her pendant. Her gaze remained on the Queen, waiting in hope for an answer.

"There is one, but it is highly dangerous. It comes from a common flower but adjusting the dosage is a very precise art." Hitomi beamed at the slightly worried tone from the Queen, responding expectantly, "Is it a pink flower? Hanging downwards like a bell?"

When the Queen gasped in surprise, she allowed herself a smile as she asked, "What is the plant called? I only know the Mystic Moon name."

"Nee-chan what are you doing?" Her brother's worried tone and whirling aura made her smile in a way she hadn't for years to her younger brother, doing her best to inspire courage.

"Tou-san hasn't taken his medication for two days. He needs something to reduce and control his heartbeat. If I can get some of the plant's pollen, it will help Tou-san breathe easier. It's only a temporary treatment to alleviate his pain. My sensei can help me find another means of medication to supplement the blood pressure tablets whilst you're all here."

"Where did you learn all this Hitomi-chan?" Her mother no longer sounded worried or wary of her, and the sudden flash of trust made her screw her eyes closed to stop herself from breaking down in front of a crowd of people she hadn't seen in years. Blinking rapidly she reached across to her mother's tightly clasped hands and squeezed them, smiling in reassurance.

"They're called Dragon's fire Hitomi-chan. But the dose has to be precise—" Turning round to the concerned Queen, she nodded respectfully before responding with as little overconfidence as she could manage. "Don't worry Millerna-sama, I'll only use the minimum dose possible. I've used the plant before and I should be able to work out the dose my father needs."

Any reluctance to being in a room with the ghosts of her pasts faded enormously as Merle stood up and strode to the door, asking her quickly, "How many flowers should I get Hitomi-chan?"

Again Hitomi could only smile in appreciation at the feline's decision to contribute. "Four stems please and if you could pick ones that have only just bloomed?"

Merle nodded and left the room, giving her a chance to focus on her father and his irregular breathing. His uncomfortable gaze brought no anger or discomfort to her, only concern as she asked, trying her best not to anger anyone in the room, "How have you been Tou-san? How's work been?" She kept her grip light, still surreptitiously checking his pulse for any rapid change.

The head of the Kanzaki family nodded to her question, wheezing as he tried to respond so Hitomi took charge of the conversation, thinking of any possible topic that didn't link to Gaea or any confrontation in any way. "Is Ootori-san still there? Or did he move to Hong Kong? I could never imagine him moving there. Didn't he always complain about the heat in summer, and his daughter had asthma right? It made no sense to me to decide to move to a hotter climate."

Looking up at her father and the sleepy smile on his face she smiled back, doing her best not to look concerned, racking her brain for something that wouldn't feel painful to him, "Have the Hanshin Tigers won the league this year? I haven't paid much attention. But I made a bet with a friend they'd win. Yamamoto seemed like a good coach didn't he?" Again she received no response from the man sitting before her, but someone else did.

"You lost your bet nee-chan, Okinawa won. And Yamamoto turned the team into a shambles. I hope you didn't bet money with your friend." Her brother grinned cheekily at her, and she felt oddly reassured, feeling her bond slowly start to reconnect. Hitomi ignored the circumstances—a room full of people who were practically strangers—and squeezed her father's hand as he gasped out a laugh.

The smile on her parent's face gave her something to keep hold of as she grinned at her father, "I get my terrible gambling instincts from you I think, right Tou-san?" Again, sliding her index finger against his pulse she calculated it had dropped slightly and kept her smile rigid on her face. Palpable silence was not helping her situation either but the last of her concerns was to engage in witty conversation as her father's heart started to fail.

"Is there anything I can do to help Hitomi-chan?"

Turning round to face the concerned Queen she tried to keep her expression calm as her father's grip weakened a fraction. Small though it might have been, her own pulse increased in worry that she might not be able to help her own father, absent of modern medicine and real doctors. Takeshi often joked about missing the comforts of life on the Mystic Moon, but at that moment Hitomi wasn't desperate for a Television or Playstation.

"I would be grateful for your guidance Millerna-sama. Especially through the night to make sure my father stays well. Without his medication for two days—"

"—Indeed, he will need something to tide over the deficit. Are you comfortable with using Dragon's fire Hitomi? It can be dangerous."

Strange as it was, sitting in the middle of a lavish sitting room, surrounded by people she hadn't seen in either five or six years, and wearing a vest and pajama bottoms, Hitomi could only feel gratitude for the Asturian Queen. She also appreciated the glaringly obvious difference that six years could make. Thinking of herself was not important or exactly comfortable, but Millerna had definitely grown and seemed to be happily married to Dryden. It inspired an awkward hope in her, but what it referred to, she decided to ponder later.

"Don't worry Millerna-sama. I will be careful with the dose. And I'll only use it for tonight to keep my father comfortable. Tomorrow I can consult my sensei for a better dose or a better medication." She smiled at the blonde woman who nodded and smiled back tentatively. Despite the unnerving circumstances, Hitomi knew her father was of the highest importance. Everything else could be dealt with later.

Hopefully tomorrow. She was far too tired to have an actual conversation with people she had left six years ago. Not to mention the argument she was most definitely going to have with the Fanelian King. If he thought she had lost any of her temper then maybe she would have to give him a slap just for old times' sake. The thought brought another wry smile to her face, even as she checked her father's aura and breathing again.

"Have you been studying whilst you've been here Hitomi?" Her mother's repeated question threw a spanner at her amusement, sliding round to face Haruka Kanzaki apologetically.

"Yes Kaa-chan. I have a great teacher. Healing arts and such. Good thing too…" She broke off, watching as her father's aura shifted. Kenzo Kanzaki leant forward, screwing his face up in pain as he tried to speak.

"Hit—om—i…" Shifting from her legs by her side, she slid them underneath her and reached up to her father's forehead. This time unable to shield her concern she placed her back of her hand then her palm against the burning skin as he started to sweat, his eyes narrowed in pain.

"Tou-san…tou-san look at me."

It was horrible to recall the words she had heard over six months before. How to connect someone's heartbeat to her own to keep them alive. She had never imagined she would have to do this to her own father. And just after he had discovered her again. The second time she spoke, her control started to slip as she reached out with her own aura, not able to cover up her fear. "Tou-san, please look at me. Open your eyes."

Her shaky voice did nothing to help the situation as her father hissed, his aura swirling at the pain, making her task so much harder as she tried to amalgamate the edges of her own shaky aura with his. How could she readjust his heartbeat if her own conscious was fraught with oncoming panic? Staring at her father's hazel eyes she tried to remember cherished childhood memories, free of pain or worry, praying that it would calm the both of them and enable her to stabilize her father's condition.

"Hitomi!" The voice echoed quietly as she kept her focus on her panicked father. "Hitomi! I have the plant."

A rough palm brushed her bare shoulder, making her jump at the sudden overly sensitive sensation, in turn her father sighed as he too could sense it from her attempt at a connection. She turned, blinking owlishly at the concerned feline face who held out a tray of four small Foxgloves. It was hard to smile as her mind ached at her awful attempt at soothing her father's aura. Her mouth felt dry.

"Could I please have a cup of water?"

The connection she was barely holding with her father, keeping him conscious and his heartbeat as regular as she could, ruptured as Hitomi was shot with concern. She had no need to guess who it came from, the pendant's connection was something she definitely needed to ask Ryuu-sama when she got back to the Valley. Gritting her teeth, she focused on the flowers, placing the tray on her lap and slowly shaking the pollen of the flower into the glass of water Merle had just given her.

She waited until the liquid was cloudy enough and swirled it gently before handing it to her father and instructing him carefully, "Tou-san, I need you to take three slow sips of this for me. Can you do that?" It was tremulous trying to maintain a connection with her father to keep his pulse steady and pray that she had given him a strong enough dose but not one that would harm him. Even as she strained to keep her focus on her parent, she could sense Millerna's worry about her use of a potentially deadly plant. There was no room for making jokes that _at least it wasn't nightshade._

Hitomi held her breath, watching impassively as her father took three slow sips of the clouded water. Her entire being focused on keeping his pulse stable and making sure his heart didn't slow down or speed up too quickly. It was minute but she could feel a shift in his heart's contraction and breathed in as deeply as possible before forcing his heart to adopt the same rhythm as hers. She ignored every voice that told her it could possibly be lethal, pushing his heart to beat in time with her own.

She could hear someone say something behind her, a hand grasped her shoulder, but everything felt muffled against the sound and feel of her own heart, straining to keep her father's in time with it.

"Hitomi. Hitomi let go." Her eyelids felt so heavy and her limbs seemed to be full of lactic acid as if she had held her breath whilst sprinting 100 metres. She tried to say something, but it came out as a tired moan. The hand on her shoulder squeezed gently and she heard her idiot pseudo brother murmur sarcastically, "Really Hitomi, no need to go Kamikazi on us."

"Go stick your head in a barrel you alcoholic." She growled in response, for once grateful to hear the cutting laughter from Takeshi.

"Hitomi are you alright?" Looking up she could now clearly see her mother, watching both her and her now placid, but slightly stunned father. "I'm fine Kaa-chan, just tired."

"Yep, it's way past your bedtime!" Apparently the lactic acid had dissolved as she heard Takeshi yelp from her heel connecting with his shin. Ignoring the idiot's yowling she looked at her father and checked his pulse once more for reassurance. "Tou-san, why don't you go and lie down ne? It's quite late anyway and I'll be leaving in a bit. But you can come and visit me tomorrow ok? We can get you to a proper doctor and they can give you some proper medication."

It was saddening, but even after the fright she had just received Hitomi didn't want to have to fight her father or start a slanging match, so she was definitely relieved when he nodded quietly and with some effort stood up. Her mother instantly joined him, gripping his elbow and smiled at her daughter, "So we'll see you tomorrow then?" She couldn't help but smile back and nod.

"Night Kaa-chan, Tou-san." She was even more grateful that Takeshi kept silent until her parents left the room.

"Will your father be ok Hitomi?" Merle's voice tinged with worry made her turn round slowly and smile as best she could without yawning at the feline, "Yeah he will be. But I'll have to find something more stable to give him tomorrow. That was only a last ditch attempt."

"So we can come see you tomorrow?" Even with her sudden tiredness, Hitomi smiled at her little brother's unsure voice and nodded, "As long as I don't fall asleep, sure."

Turning her gaze to the man still standing and now looking very unhappy with the situation she addressed him, "Takeshi, do you have something to add?" The glare she received only made her feel more relaxed as his childish temperament flared vividly. She couldn't help but bite the inside of her cheek as he spoke with the least welcoming manner she had ever heard, "Your Majesties, Honoured ones, my brother, the Daimyo of the Mystic Valley wishes to have you visit his residence tomorrow and accept his invitation for lunch. He would be greatly pleased if you are available to accept."

Any amusement stilted quickly as Hitomi came back to the realization of her exact surroundings.

"We accept." His voice had definitely changed in six years and apparently still gave her goosebumps, although she did have slightly damp hair and was wearing rather thin pyjamas. But his cool, imperious tone reminded her of just _who_ he was. And that only added to her discomfort.

"Right, come on Hitomi. If I don't come back without you, Satsuki's sure to spaz. Up you get." She felt her healing effort on her body as she slowly rose to her feet without looking stupid, even in pyjamas, ignoring the apathy in Takeshi's voice. With a deep breath she looked at Merle, her safest option as Takeshi reached out for her arm, and murmured in her cheeriest tone, "See you all tomorrow," before a blue tinged pillar of light appeared. It was instant. She felt the world shift around her, then she could smell the mountain air. This time she and Takeshi were carefully deposited on the path right in front of their residence.

It was clear that Takeshi wasn't happy with the arrangements for the next day and it was highly likely that after all the high-jinks that day he would do as she asked and consume a toxic amount of alcohol. He would probably wake her just before dawn too, singing on the front lawn, no doubt it would be Ayumi Hamasaki or something equally irritating and high-pitched. But she really had other concerns. lmfao

"Hitomi! Where the hell have you been?!" She remained silent, knowing Satsuki wouldn't let her get a word in edgeways.

* * *

Van could only stare at the space she had vacated in numb shock. After everything she had displayed, saving her own father's life to his astonishment, he still couldn't help but linger on the fact she hadn't once looked at him. Even though he would only see her in a few hours, he still felt panic grip him.

Maybe he had been calculating, but that wasn't the issue. Or perhaps it was. Things were no longer under his control and it wasn't something he enjoyed at all. Just how angry was she? How desperate would she be to run away from him this time? Into whose arms?

"Van!" Blinking himself out of his worried stupor, he managed to see that the room had been vacated by all but Merle who sat across from him, a concerned frown on her face.

"I'm fine Merle. Really." Standing up to leave the room he knew just how badly his attempt to lie had come across as the feline laughed harshly before murmuring quietly, trying to be reassuring, "She'll come round. You know she will. Why else did she come here in the first place?"

It was a long slow walk to his bedchamber, seemingly a great deal more empty than it usually felt. But Van knew he had to pull himself out of his melancholy. Hitomi had responded to him only nights before. Perhaps it had been wrong of him, still if she had done so while thinking she was asleep, he couldn't be completely without a chance.

Dryden was right. He was pathetic.

* * *

Hitomi sighed, leaning against her doorframe after the chaotic night. After fending Satsuki off her and assuaging Amano that she was fine, it had been an equally tough feat to keep her Gaean adopted brother from running straight to the village tavern and trying to reach new levels of drunkenness. It had taken a lot of persuading but he had agreed to stay at home, forsaking any promises on his alcohol consumption.

Takeshi still wasn't helping at all, strangely and drunkenly bouncing around which she sleepily couldn't decipher. Though if it _was_ annoyed bouncing, she was sure he would have been talking loudly too. Instead he poked his head out of his room before inhaling and smirking wildly.

"Spirited away by a White Dragon, eh? Ku, Ku, Ku!"

"Shouldn't you be out looking for mikos and hanyous?" She sighed in response, unable to come up with a proper insult, her mind wavering from worried mush to emotionally fragile mush. "Oi! Ku, ku, ku is Orochimaru."

"Naraku." She replied, feeling sudden sympathy for a fictional 20th century reincarnated miko as she stumbled into her room and shut the door. Kagome never had to deal with drunken idiots.

She yawned loudly, thinking of the MGM Lion as she did, the first amused smile to reach her face in hours pinching her cheeks. It was at that moment her eyes drifted to her bedside table and a pair of earrings. A beautiful pair _Kakeru and Hana_had given her for her birthday. Her eyes narrowed then widened, almost painfully as tears sprang from her tear ducts. Wiping them away roughly, she gasped as she reached for the jewellery as a revelation spread through her mind on who the original gift-giver had been. Most certainly not Kakeru and his wife.

Her heart cowered in indecision between joy and anger. But the desire for sleep won out and she crawled into bed, noting to herself to think on the earrings and everything else in the morning. Before their visitors arrived.

* * *

A/N: I'M SOOOOO SORRY! Seriously I am so angry with myself for taking so long. I hope I can get back on board with this FORGIVE ME!

Sina xx

* * *

Thanks to:

mysisterisasuijum – Yep it's always the small ones, or is it quiet ones? Ah well thanks xx

thepinkmartini – Yeah I hoped that line would work out. Thanks again ^^

Inda – thanks! Will try!

Lil' Dinky – Wow! Long review! ^^ And sadly Van is Hitomi's. He's worked hard for her ne?

Kili – Patience in all things my friend. Lol me too! Woo! There may be trouble ahead *winks stupidly*

InLuvWidVan – Huggles too! Yep updates soon *coughs nervously,* I will try!

Bloodoftheangel

Jav-chan – seriously, _constructive_ criticism is helpful and keeps readers, improves the writing, etc. And yes I will hunt you down on your dry spell/desert for KRL. Btw I hope on MSN you were joking…

Kai3angel

Chibimimi – Thank you and hope to see you more often! Xx

dilly-sammas luver – here you are!

AmethystWings – Thank you! Glad the OCs aren't too obnoxious. And Van is going to suffer. Trust me ^^

Morroki – Apologies for the wait! Here you are…

FuyuSarah – Thank you! You're an awesome reviewer! And trust me Van will have more hurdles to overcome!


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